Ancient China Series: Tang Dynasty

The Tang Dynasty: China’s Most Radiant Age of Power, Culture, and Openness

The Tang Dynasty (618–907) is widely regarded as the most brilliant and confident era in Chinese history. At its height, Tang China was not only politically strong and economically prosperous, but also the most cosmopolitan civilisation in the world—a place where cultures, religions, ideas, and people converged.

For nearly three centuries, the Tang Dynasty set the standard for imperial governance, cultural creativity, and international exchange. Later generations would look back on it as a golden age that was never fully surpassed.

The Founding of the Tang Dynasty

The Tang Dynasty arose from the collapse of the Sui Dynasty, whose final years were marked by heavy taxation, forced labour, failed military campaigns, and widespread rebellion.

Amid this chaos, Li Yuan, a high-ranking Sui official stationed in Taiyuan, raised an army in 617. Later that year, his forces captured Chang’an (modern Xi’an), the empire’s strategic heart.

In 618, after the Sui emperor was assassinated by his own general, Li Yuan declared himself emperor, founding the Tang Dynasty and taking the throne as Emperor Gaozu. Chang’an remained the capital, soon to become the most magnificent city on earth.

Early Stability and the Reign of Emperor Taizong

The Tang Dynasty truly flourished under Emperor Taizong of Tang (r. 626–649), one of China’s most capable rulers.

Under his leadership:

• Government became efficient and merit-based

• Taxes and corvée labour were reduced

• Agriculture, commerce, and population recovered rapidly

• Borders expanded and foreign relations stabilised

This era was marked by political integrity, economic revival, and social order, setting a strong foundation for Tang prosperity.

Wu Zetian: The Only Female Emperor

After Emperor Taizong’s death, power gradually shifted to his consort Wu Zetian, an extraordinary and controversial figure.

Originally Empress during Emperor Gaozong’s reign, Wu Zetian effectively governed the empire while the emperor was ill. In 690, she took the unprecedented step of proclaiming herself emperor, founding the short-lived Zhou Dynasty.

Despite fierce opposition, her rule:

• Strengthened the civil service examination system

• Promoted talented officials regardless of background

• Maintained economic growth and political stability

Her reign demonstrated that Tang governance was flexible enough to absorb even radical changes without collapse.

The High Tang: Emperor Xuanzong and the Kaiyuan Era

The Tang Dynasty reached its absolute zenith during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (r. 712–756).

Known as the Kaiyuan Golden Age, this period saw:

• Explosive economic growth

• Artistic and literary brilliance

• Sophisticated administration

• Unprecedented urban prosperity

Chang’an became the largest, richest, and most international city in the world, home to merchants, envoys, monks, and scholars from Central Asia, Persia, India, Korea, Japan, and beyond.

A Global Empire: Diplomacy, Trade, and Openness

The Tang Dynasty was remarkably outward-looking.

Foreign Relations

Tang emperors maintained diplomatic ties through:

• Marriage alliances

• Cultural and technological exchange

• Religious dialogue

Envoys from dozens of states visited the Tang court, while Chinese monks and students travelled abroad.

Trade & the Silk Road

• The Silk Road thrived under Tang protection

• Guangzhou became a major maritime trade hub

• Foreign merchants settled permanently in Chinese cities

Tang China was a true world power, comparable in influence to the contemporary Abbasid Caliphate.

Religion, Thought, and Tolerance

Tang society was unusually open-minded in matters of belief.

• Buddhism flourished among both elites and commoners

• Daoism enjoyed imperial patronage

• Confucianism remained the backbone of governance

Christianity (Nestorian), Zoroastrianism, and Manichaeism were also practiced—rare religious diversity for the medieval world.

Literature and the Golden Age of Poetry

Tang literature, especially poetry, reached unmatched heights.

Poets such as Li Bai and Du Fu created works that remain central to Chinese education and identity today.

• Li Bai captured freedom, imagination, and transcendence

• Du Fu chronicled war, suffering, and moral responsibility

Their poetry reflected both the glory and the human cost of empire.

Decline: Rebellion and Fragmentation

The Tang Dynasty’s decline began during Emperor Xuanzong’s later years.

Distracted by court intrigue and his beloved consort Yang Yuhuan, the emperor neglected governance. In 755, the general An Lushan launched the devastating An–Shi Rebellion, which:

• Lasted eight years

• Killed millions

• Shattered central authority

Although the dynasty survived, power increasingly shifted to regional warlords, eunuchs, and corrupt officials.

Further rebellions—most notably Huang Chao’s uprising—fatally weakened the state. In 907, the last Tang emperor was forced to abdicate, ending one of history’s greatest empires.

Why the Tang Dynasty Still Matters

The Tang Dynasty represents:

• Cultural confidence

• Global openness

• Artistic excellence

• A vision of China as a cosmopolitan civilisation

Later dynasties admired the Tang not only for its power, but for its spirit of inclusiveness and creativity. If the Han defined what China was, the Tang showed what China could become.