"Return to a new line does not need to be translated, return as it is, all other Chinese must be translated into English: Tang Dynasty - Zhenguan Changge, the salvation and decline after the end of the human song"

Author: Zhao Yi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-12-01
Features: It can be said that A Journey Through the Tang Dynasty achieves a dual victory in both history and literature. The success of this book is not due to any overly emotional techniques employed by the author, but rather to his restraint, pure literary taste, and outstanding ability to construct narrative structures. Such a work is not only the best combination of history and literature but, in a sense, also transcends both. This book resonates with the upcoming blockbuster TV dramas A Dream of Splendor and The Reign of Zhenguan, marking the end of your choices for reading about the Tang Dynasty! The golden age of ancient China was the Tang Dynasty, spanning over a century from the early 7th to the late 8th century. Its brilliance once shone like the midday sun, illuminating the entire world. Unfortunately, this brilliant sun did not shine brightly for long, and it gradually dimmed within a hundred years in the 9th century. Drawing on historical research findings and discarding academic conventions, the book employs a vivid literary narrative style to restore the true story of history.
After the An Lushan Rebellion, the Tang Dynasty gradually declined, with the empire's foundations increasingly shaken by the intensifying separatism of regional warlords, the rise of corrupt ministers, and the tyranny of eunuchs. Salvation and decline became the themes of the 9th century. This book, with its grand scale and vivid historical facts, recreates the 158-year decline of the Tang Dynasty from the reigns of Emperor Daizong, Dezong, Shunzong, Xuanzong, Muzong, Jingzong, Wuzong, Xuanzong, Yizong, Xizong, Zhaozong, and Zhao Chongxun. It brings the imperial capital of Chang'an, shrouded in the autumn wind and setting sun, into sharp relief against the backdrop of historical dimness. The apathy, ambition, and helplessness of the emperors; the diligence, intrigue, and factionalism of the court officials; the manipulation of power, betrayal of servitude, and massacre of loyal ministers by the eunuchs; and the regional dominance, territorial division, and defiance of the central government by the warlords—all are vividly portrayed, evoking a sense of solemn melancholy akin to the line, "The autumn wind blows across the Wei River, with fallen leaves descending upon Chang'an."