Civilization · 618 – 907 CE
Tang Dynasty
Cosmopolitan golden age of medieval China.
Capital: Chang'an · East Asia
Overview
Tang Chang'an was the largest city in the world, a cosmopolis of Persian merchants, Sogdian musicians, Nestorian monks and Buddhist pilgrims. Poetry, painting and porcelain reached classical maturity.
Timeline
- 618Li Yuan founds the Tang
- 649 – 683Emperor Gaozong extends control to Central Asia
- 690 – 705Reign of Wu Zetian, China's only female emperor
- 755 – 763An Lushan Rebellion
- 907Dynasty falls; Five Dynasties period
Rulers
Model Confucian ruler
Female emperor
Cultural apex, then rebellion
Wars & conflicts
- Goguryeo–Tang War
- An Lushan Rebellion
- Battle of Talas (751)
Architecture
Timber-framed halls (Foguang Temple), pagodas, grid-planned capitals.
Religion
Mahayana Buddhism at peak influence; Daoism, Confucianism, Nestorianism, Manichaeism.
Economy
Grand Canal grain traffic, Silk Road luxury trade, first paper money precursors.
Technology
Woodblock printing, gunpowder formulas, mechanical clocks.
Art
Li Bai and Du Fu's poetry, sancai glazed pottery, monumental Buddhist sculpture.
Influence
Model for Nara/Heian Japan, Silla Korea and Vietnam.
Decline
Regional military governors weakened the center after An Lushan.
Key sites
- Big Wild Goose Pagoda
- Longmen Grottoes
- Famen Temple
- Mogao Caves