Great Tang Spirit: Stories of China from 518 AD to 763 AD

Author: Liu Shanling, Guo Jian, Hao Lingsheng
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-01-01
Features: China is a great nation with a splendid history spanning five thousand years, full of vitality and dynamism. The Chinese nation has long stood tall in the East, passing down through generations. This volume of "Talking About China" tells the stories of the Sui to Tang dynasties, just as the title "The Grand Atmosphere of the Tang Dynasty" suggests—it was a great era that lifted the spirits of every Chinese person. In those more than one and a half centuries, there emerged three golden eras: the Kaihuang Era, the Zhenguan Era, and the Kaiyuan Era. In my opinion, the Kaihuang Era should be counted from the 17th year of Emperor Kaihuang to the 7th year of the Daye reign (597–611), the Zhenguan Era from the 8th year of Zhenguan to the 23rd year (634–649), and the Kaiyuan Era generally refers to the early to late Kaiyuan period (713–741). In reality, as early as 690 when Wu Zetian declared herself emperor, except for the gradually declining political persecution, the economy, politics, military, culture, national strength, territory, and foreign relations all presented a comprehensive picture of a golden age. Later, despite the twists and turns of political upheavals led by empresses like Empress Wei and Princess Taiping, this prosperous and flourishing situation lasted until the 11th year of the Tianbao reign (752). Therefore, the globally renowned Tang Dynasty (including the Wu Zhou period) is essentially the Great Tang Prosperity, which can basically be counted from the first year of Tianshou to the 11th year of Tianbao (690–752). Out of the 175 years from the early Sui to the Tianbao period of the Tang, 91 years, or 52%, were in a golden or prosperous state. In the entire history of China, which spans thousands of years, there are only a dozen or so golden eras, accounting for only about 5% of the years. Thus, the density and brilliance of the golden eras in the 7th and 8th centuries were unprecedented in Chinese history.