Tang Dynasty History Interpretation - (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: (Editor-in-Chief Zeng Zhihua, Du Wenyu, Bai Yulin)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-12-01
Features: The Interpretation of Tang History primarily references the Old Book of Tang and New Book of Tang from the Twenty-Five Histories. During the Tang Dynasty, which lasted from its founding in 618 to its collapse in 907, spanning 290 years, its influence extended to neighboring and surrounding countries, shaping the later course of Chinese history. The Old Book of Tang was compiled by Liu Xun and others of the Five Dynasties and Jin periods. It is the earliest systematic historical record of the Tang Dynasty, originally titled Book of Tang. After the publication of the New Book of Tang, edited by Ouyang Xiu and Song Qi and others during the Song Dynasty, it was renamed Old Book of Tang to distinguish it from the latter. The New Book of Tang and the Old Book of Tang have their respective strengths and weaknesses, and they cannot replace each other but rather complement one another. As a result, they have been used together in later generations. Compared to the Old Book of Tang, the New Book of Tang has its own advantages. In the words of Song Dynasty officials' memorials, it is "more events than before, and more concise in writing." In other words, the New Book of Tang has more historical materials than the Old Book of Tang, with detailed narratives that overcome the Old Book of Tang's flaw of being more detailed at the beginning and less detailed at the end, while still being concise in language.