Tang Dynasty(唐朝):

The Tang Dynasty was a great unifying empire in Chinese history, following the Sui Dynasty. It lasted for 289 years with twenty-one emperors.

At the end of the Sui Dynasty, warlords rose in rebellion; taking advantage of the chaos, Duke Li Yuan of Tang initiated a military uprising in Jinyang and proclaimed himself emperor in 618, establishing the Tang Dynasty with its capital at Chang’an. Emperor Taizong succeeded to the throne and initiated the Governance of Zhenguan, laying the foundation for the dynasty’s prosperous era. Emperor Gaozong continued the policies of Zhenguan and started the “Governance of Yonghui”. In 690, Empress Wu Zetian changed the state’s name to Zhou, but the Tang title was restored after the Shenlong Revolution in 705.

During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong, the Flourishing Kaiyuan Reign Period marked the zenith of the Tang Dynasty. By the end of the Tianbao era, the population had reached about eighty million.

Following the An Lushan Rebellion, there were instances of military governors carving out their own territories and the usurpation of power by eunuchs, leading to a gradual decline in national power. This was briefly reversed during the reigns of Emperor Xianzong with the “Yuanhe Revival”, Emperor Wuzong with the “Huichang Revival”, and Emperor Xuanzong with the “Great Governance of the Dazhong Era”.

Subsequent peasant uprisings at the end of the Tang weakened the dynasty’s ruling foundation and significantly increased the power of regional military governors, severely reducing the central government’s control over the provinces and turning the emperor into a pawn contested among military strongmen. The dynasty existed in name only. In 907, military governor Zhu Wen usurped the Tang, leading to its collapse.

The Tang Dynasty’s territory was unprecedentedly vast, stretching from the Sea of Japan in the east to the Caspian Sea in the west, from Annam in the south to Lake Baikal in the north. The Tang employed a tributary system to manage its relations with neighboring ethnic groups, and established close political and economic ties through enfeoffment and marital alliances; its ruling class adopted an open-minded approach to foreign cultures. Nations such as Japan, Nanzhao, Silla, and Bohai sent envoys to learn about Tang’s institutions and culture, fostering a significant cultural integration among the border territories and the heartland.

The Tang Dynasty was powerful, economically prosperous, and active in foreign affairs, making it one of the strongest nations in the world at that time. Following the Tang era, the term “Tang people” was often used overseas to refer to the Chinese. Through interactions with various countries, the Tang Dynasty exhibited a diverse and open economy, society, culture, and art, achieving significant accomplishments in poetry (Tang poetry), calligraphy, painting, and music.