For other uses, see Tang dynasty (disambiguation).
Tang
唐
618–690, 705–907
(690–705: Wu Zhou)
The empire in 661, when it reached its greatest extent[1][2][3]
Civil administration
Military administration
Briefly-controlled areas
Capital
Chang'an (618–904)
Luoyang (904–907)
Common languages
Middle Chinese
Religion
Chinese Buddhism
Taoism
Chinese folk religion
Chinese Nestorian Christianity
Chinese Manicheism
Zoroastrianism
Islam
Government
Absolute monarchy
Emperor
• 618–626 (first)
Emperor Gaozu
• 626–649
Emperor Taizong
• 712–756
Emperor Xuanzong
• 904–907 (last)
Emperor Ai
Historical era
Medieval East Asia
• Established
June 18, 618
• Wu Zhou interregnum
690–705
• An Lushan Rebellion
755–763
• Abdication in favor of Later Liang
June 1, 907
Area
715[4][5]
5,400,000 km2 (2,100,000 sq mi)
Population
• 7th century
50 million
• 9th century
80 million
Currency
Cash coins
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Sui dynasty
Western Turkic Khaganate
Eastern Turkic Khaganate
Later Liang
Yang Wu
Wuyue
Min
Former Shu
Liao dynasty
Second Turkic Khaganate
Tang dynasty
"Tang dynasty" in Han characters
Chinese
唐朝
Hanyu Pinyin
Tángcháo
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin
Tángcháo
Bopomofo
ㄊㄤˊ ㄔㄠˊ
Gwoyeu Romatzyh
Tarngchaur
Wade–Giles
Tʻang2-chʻao2
Tongyong Pinyin
Táng-cháo
Yale Romanization
Tángcháu
IPA
[tʰǎŋ.ʈʂʰǎʊ]
Wu
Romanization
Daon zau
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanization
Tòhngchìuh
Jyutping
tong4 ciu4
IPA
[tʰɔːŋ˩.tsʰiːu˩]
Southern Min
Hokkien POJ
Tông-tiâu
Tâi-lô
Tông-tiâu
Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese
dang djew
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v
t
e
The Tang dynasty (/tɑːŋ/,[6][tʰǎŋ]; Chinese: 唐朝[a]), or the Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Historians generally regard the Tang as a high point in Chinese civilization, and a golden age of cosmopolitan culture.[8] Tang territory, acquired through the military campaigns of its early rulers, rivaled that of the Han dynasty.
The Li family founded the dynasty after taking advantage of a period of Sui decline and precipitating their final collapse, in turn inaugurating a period of progress and stability in the first half of the dynasty's rule. The dynasty was formally interrupted during 690–705 when Empress Wu Zetian seized the throne, proclaiming the Wu Zhou dynasty and becoming the only legitimate Chinese empress regnant. The devastating An Lushan Rebellion (755–763) shook the nation and led to the decline of central authority in the dynasty's latter half. Like the previous Sui dynasty, the Tang maintained a civil-service system by recruiting scholar-officials through standardized examinations and recommendations to office. The rise of regional military governors known as jiedushi during the 9th century undermined this civil order. The dynasty and central government went into decline by the latter half of the 9th century; agrarian rebellions resulted in mass population loss and displacement, widespread poverty, and further government dysfunction that ultimately ended the dynasty in 907.
The Tang capital at Chang'an (present-day Xi'an) was the world's most populous city for much of the dynasty's existence. Two censuses of the 7th and 8th centuries estimated the empire's population at about 50 million people,[9][10] which grew to an estimated 80 million by the dynasty's end.[11][12][b] From its numerous subjects, the dynasty raised professional and conscripted armies of hundreds of thousands of troops to contend with nomadic powers for control of Inner Asia and the lucrative trade-routes along the Silk Road. Far-flung kingdoms and states paid tribute to the Tang court, while the Tang also indirectly controlled several regions through a protectorate system. In addition to its political hegemony, the Tang exerted a powerful cultural influence over neighboring East Asian nations such as Japan and Korea.
Chinese culture flourished and further matured during the Tang era. It is traditionally considered the greatest age for Chinese poetry.[13] Two of China's most famous poets, Li Bai and Du Fu, belonged to this age, contributing with poets such as Wang Wei to the monumental Three Hundred Tang Poems. Many famous painters such as Han Gan, Zhang Xuan, and Zhou Fang were active, while Chinese court music flourished with instruments such as the popular pipa. Tang scholars compiled a rich variety of historical literature, as well as encyclopedias and geographical works. Notable innovations included the development of woodblock printing. Buddhism became a major influence in Chinese culture, with native Chinese sects gaining prominence. However, in the 840s, Emperor Wuzong enacted policies to suppress Buddhism, which subsequently declined in influence.
^Blunden & Elvin (1983), pp. 26, 92–93.
^Twitchett & Wechsler (1979), p. 281.
^Shin (2014), pp. 39, 47.
^Turchin, Peter; Adams, Jonathan M.; Hall, Thomas D (December 2006). "East-West Orientation of Historical Empires". Journal of World-Systems Research. 12 (2): 222. ISSN 1076-156X.
^Taagepera, Rein (1997). "Expansion and Contraction Patterns of Large Polities: Context for Russia". International Studies Quarterly. 41 (3): 492. doi:10.1111/0020-8833.00053. JSTOR 2600793.
^"Tang". Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.
^Wilkinson 2013, p. 6.
^Lewis 2012, p. 1.
^Ebrey, Walthall & Palais 2006, p. 91.
^Ebrey 1999, pp. 111, 141.
^Du 1998, p. 37.
^Fairbank & Goldman 2006, p. 106.
^Yu 1998, pp. 73–87.
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