The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty that reigned over Ancient China from 618 to 907. Under this empire, China experienced a time of peace and prosperity, making it one of the world’s strongest nations.
The Tang Dynasty is also known as one of Ancient China’s Golden Age.
Establishment of the Tang Dynasty
When the Sui Dynasty declined in 618, the army of Shanxi’s governor, Li Yuan, marched towards Chang’an. He enthroned a child emperor as a puppet ruler while Li Yuan ruled as China’s Prime Minister.
When the old Sui ruler, Emperor Yang, was assassinated, Li Yuan declared himself as emperor. He then established the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Empire ruled over a vast area stretching from Korea to Northern Vietnam and reaching Afghanistan.
Arts and Culture of the Tang
The Tang Dynasty was a brilliant period for Chinese arts and culture. Along with that, major imperial ceremonies were revived.
Ancient orchestras became more prominent while more court dancers appeared. For musicians, they started playing bells, flutes, stone chimes, drums, and zithers.
Tang China also welcomed foreign ideas. With Arabian and Persian seamen roving China’s ports, western music and dance eventually influenced China and Central Asia.
Poetry was the greatest pride of the Tang. New verse forms were developed while those from the past were used as inspiration for new works. During this time, Lushi (regulated verse) and Jueju (abbreviated, truncated verse) were introduced and became highly popular.
Over 50,000 works by thousands of Tang poets have been preserved. Aside from poems, other forms of literature like short stories, histories, and encyclopedias were written.
In the areas of engineering and technology, a lot of advancements were made during the Tang Dynasty. The invention of woodblock printing was the most important among these since it allowed mass production of books. As a result, literature flourished throughout the empire.
Other major inventions in the Tang Dynasty included gunpowder and porcelain. Advancements in map-making and clock-making also happened during this period.
