Tang dynasty. In 618, Li Yuan raised troops, overthrew the Sui Dynasty, and established the Tang Dynasty, with the capital Chang'an and the capital Luoyang. Later, after the reform of Tang Taizong, Tang Gaozong, Wu Zetian and Tang Xuanzong, production development, expansion of territory, entered a strong period of civilization and opening up. However, the system caused the Anshi Rebellion, the division of feudal towns, the decline of the Tang Dynasty, and its demise in 907.
I. Politics
1. The unification of the Tang Dynasty.
In 618, Li Yuan proclaimed himself emperor in Chang'an, established the Tang Dynasty, and then gradually eliminated the rebel armies and separatist forces to unify the country.
Improve the system. Inheriting the system of the Sui Dynasty, the division of labor of the three provinces and six ministries system was clearer, the status of the imperial examination system was strengthened, the supervision area of the province was set up above the prefecture and county system to strengthen the supervision and control of the localities, and the military system was changed to the conscription system by Xuanzong, which was conducive to improving the combat capability of the army and reducing the burden on the peasants, but the conscription system was easy to form a combination of soldiers and generals to launch a rebellion.
2. The rule of Zhenguan.
1] Overview. Economically, Tang Taizong learned the lessons of the Sui Dynasty's demise, and economically, he treated all ethnic groups equally, cracked down on separatist forces, and regained control of the Western Regions; culturally, he practiced an eclectic and inclusive policy. During the reign of Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, there was a rare enlightened political situation, which was known as the "rule of Zhenguan" in history.
2] Tang Taizong.
(1) Politics. Participated in the anti-Sui tyranny and the founding of the Tang Dynasty, reformed the system, improved the system of three provinces and six ministries, and the imperial examination system; governed the country with virtue and morality, reused talents, was politically clear, social stability, and economic development, and the situation of Zhenguan's rule appeared.
(2) Economy. We should recuperate and earn interest, lenient sentences and light taxes, implement the system of equalizing land and regulating rents, and restore social and economic development.
(3) Ethnic relations. He practiced an enlightened ethnic policy, "made peace after war," appointed ethnic minority nobles to administer his own localities, set up institutions, canonized feudal titles, and made peace with his relatives; and was promoted to the title of "Heavenly Khan," thus promoting the development of a unified multi-ethnic state.
(4) Externally. It has implemented a policy of opening up to the outside world, encouraged foreigners to do business and settle down in China, and strengthened exchanges between Chinese and foreign civilizations.
(5) Culture. Encourage cultural development.
(6) In short, it laid the foundation for the emergence of the prosperous situation of the Tang Dynasty. But he killed his brother and forced his father, invaded Goryeo, and was extravagant in his later years.
3. Wu Zhou regime.
1] Overview. At one time, the Tang Dynasty was changed to Zhou. Wu Zetian was the only female emperor in the history of the mainland, and during her reign, the social economy continued to develop.
2] "Tang Law Discussion".
At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, the law was simplified, and Tang Gaozong revised the "Zhenguan Law" to "Yonghui Law", and ordered people to interpret the law article by article, so that it was convenient for officials to use it when adjudicating cases, called "Yonghui Law Shu", that is, "Tang Law Shu Yi". It combines ritual and law, attaches special importance to filial piety, and has dozens of articles to maintain filial piety. The legal system of the Tang Dynasty included laws, orders, grids, and formulas, the law was the criminal code for conviction and sentencing, the order was the administrative system and norms, the grid was the code of supplementary meaning relative to the law, and the formula was the detailed rules and regulations on the implementation of the law. It inherits the experience of legislation and annotation since the Han and Wei dynasties, and is the earliest and most complete feudal code existing in mainland China, and is a symbol of the establishment of the Chinese legal system. Successive dynasties often used this as a model for their own laws, and it also had a significant impact on Japan.
4. Kaiyuan prosperous era.
1] Overview. During the reign of Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, he selected talents and appointed talents, reformed the rule of officials, developed production, greatly promoted cultural governance, reformed the military system, and pushed the Tang Dynasty to its heyday, which is known as the "prosperous era of the Kaiyuan Dynasty". During this period, the economy developed greatly and the society flourished unprecedentedly.
2] Temperance makes.
(1) Appearance. Frontier warfare was created out of need. Enlarged set during the Xuanzong period.
(2) Content. Generals control the administrative and financial power of their jurisdictions. Later, the father died and the son succeeded, the brother died and the brother died, and the ministry will be supported.
(3) Evaluation. It was conducive to the victory of the frontier war, the concentration of power, which caused the defects of the system of division and separation, which directly led to the Anshi Rebellion and the division of feudal towns, and indirectly led to the demise of the Tang Dynasty.
3] Daozhou County three-level system.
The Tang Dynasty divided the whole country into 10 supervision areas, which was later increased to 15. Later, the province became a first-class administrative district above the prefecture and county. After the Anshi Rebellion, each province was changed to set up a festival envoy. Jiedu envoys also led the prefectures and counties, forming a warlord division.
4] "The Ceremony of the Tang Dynasty".
The Tang Dynasty advocated the rule of etiquette, and Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty promulgated the "Tang Kaiyuan Ceremony", which was divided into auspicious rites, guest rites, military rites, jia rites, and fierce rites, which was a huge system, complex content, and rigorous etiquette code, and was the culmination of the feudal etiquette system since the Qin and Han dynasties.
The Tang Dynasty promoted the experience of attaching importance to family discipline since the Wei and Jin dynasties, and strengthened grassroots education.
5. Ethnic relations.
1] system. The institutions responsible for ethnic affairs in the Sui and Tang dynasties were the Ministry of Rites and the Honglu Temple, the Ministry of Rites was responsible for the "Guest Ceremony", "Confession of the Tibetan Dynasty" and "Zhufan Dynasty Meeting", and the Honglu Temple was responsible for the etiquette of receiving guests. The Sui Dynasty mainly implemented the county system in the frontier, and the Tang Dynasty set up the county in the border area, and the main management institutions were the Dadu Protectorate, the Governor's Mansion, and the Guardian Prefecture, the northwest had Anxi and Beiting Protectorate, the north had Anbei and Shan Yu Protectorate, the northeast had Anbei Protectorate, and the south had Annam Metropolitan Protectorate. The Governor's Mansion and the Prefecture Assassin Prefecture are served by the leaders of ethnic minorities, and are directly under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Protectorate, and are unified by the central government.
2] Eastern Turks - At the beginning of the Sui Dynasty, the Turks were divided into eastern and western regions, and the Eastern Turks accepted jurisdiction and sent envoys to Korea, and the Western Turks also maintained close relations. During the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, the Eastern Turkic Khan was defeated and captured, and the Eastern Turkic Khanate was destroyed. Respect Tang Taizong as "Heavenly Khan".
The Western Turks-Tang Gaozong united to destroy the Western Turks. The central government of the Tang Dynasty successively set up the Anxi Metropolitan Protectorate and the Beiting Metropolitan Protectorate to govern the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains.
3] Tubo - In 640, Taizong of Tang Dynasty married Princess Wencheng to Songtsan Gampo, and in 710, Princess Jincheng entered Tibet, and Tang and Tibet made peace, promoting friendly relations and economic and cultural exchanges between Han and Tibet. In the middle of the 9th century, Tibet and Tang were allied.
4] South. The Sui Dynasty strengthened its rule over Lingnan. In 589, the leader of Baiyue, Mrs. Xian, welcomed Wei Xun, the commander of the Sui army, into Guangzhou and was named the Lady of the State of Chen. Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty strengthened ties with Ryukyu and sent people to Ryukyu twice.
Nanzhao. The Tang Dynasty was sealed, and King Nanzhao sent his children to study in the Tang Dynasty.
5] Jin Ya - During the Tang Xuanzong period, the leader of the Jin Ya tribe in the northeast was honored as the king of Bohai County.
6. Foreign relations.
1] Overview. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the country was unified, the economy was prosperous, foreign relations developed unprecedentedly, and economic and cultural exchanges were active. It has unimpeded trade routes with the Western Regions and Central Asia. Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty ordered Pei Ju to stay in Zhangye, take charge of trade affairs, and manage exchanges with merchants in the Western Regions.
2] with large food. After the Tang Dynasty destroyed the Western Turks, he directly faced the Great Eclipse, that is, the Arab Empire, in 751, the Battle of Talas, the Tang army was defeated, many people became prisoners, some Chinese technology was transmitted to Arabia, and papermaking spread to the west.
3] with Southeast Asia. In 608, Chang Jun set sail from Nanhai County to the Malay Peninsula, and the king sent his son.
4] with Japan. Japan sent envoys to the Sui and Tang Dynasty, and there were foreign students, scholars, and businessmen who came with the envoys, and in 653 there were two groups of more than 120 students and scholars to study Tang culture. Jianzhen crossed to the east and spread Tang culture.
5] with North Korea.
6] with Tianzhu. Xuanzang traveled west to seek Buddhism.
The decisive battle between the Tang Dynasty and the Great Eclipse
7. Anshi Rebellion (755-763).
1] Causes.
(1) Political corruption: In the later period of the reign of Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, he indulged in pleasure, neglected political affairs, and cronyism.
(2) Military misconduct: Tang Xuanzong added military towns in important border areas, and set up knots to strengthen border defense, resulting in a situation where the outside is heavy and the inside is light.
2] Impact: In the process of counterinsurgency, many generals of the Tang Army supported their own troops, the centralization of power was weakened, the border air defense was weak, and the Tang Dynasty turned from prosperity to decline.
8. Partition of feudal towns.
1] Formation: During and after the Anshi Rebellion, the Tang Dynasty successively added feudal towns in the interior, which were actually separatist forces.
2] Impact: The secession of feudal towns lasted for more than 100 years, severely weakening the ruling power of the Tang Dynasty.
9. The Yellow Nest Uprising.
1] Background: In the late Tang Dynasty, the struggle between eunuch dictatorship and partisanship intensified.
2] Overview: The Huangchao Rebellion in 875 dealt a heavy blow to the rule of the Tang Dynasty.
10. Death of the Tang Dynasty.
In 907, Zhu Wen abolished the Tang Dynasty as emperor, the country name Liang, known as the Later Liang in history, and the Tang Dynasty perished.
3. Economy.
1. Economic system.
1] Junda system. Rent modulation. (See Sui Dynasty System)
2] Two tax laws.
(1) Purpose: To solve financial difficulties.
(2) Implementation: In 780, Tang Dezong accepted the suggestion of Prime Minister Yang Yan to abolish the regulation of rents and yongs and implement the two taxation laws.
(3) Contents: The total amount of taxes paid in the current year shall be determined by the state financial expenditure, and shall be divided into various localities, and each household shall pay household tax according to its number of persons and assets, and shall pay land tax according to the number of acres of land, and all miscellaneous taxes and miscellaneous labor shall be abolished and all miscellaneous taxes shall be reconciled with rent; and taxes shall be paid twice a year in summer and autumn.
(4) Impact: Simplify the tax items, expand the tax collection objects, and ensure the country's fiscal revenue. It changed the perennial taxation system since the Warring States period and reduced the government's personal control over the peasants. It is conducive to the development of the commodity economy, and in fact recognizes land annexation, which accelerates the gap between the rich and the poor.
Barrel car
2. Agriculture.
1] Tool advancement. The invention of the cylinder car, which uses the hydraulic power of flowing water for irrigation. The invention of the curved plow, which can adjust the depth, is lightweight, and easy to turn. Tea cultivation expanded.
2] Water conservancy. Grand canal.
3] After the Anshi Rebellion, the northern people moved south, and there was a second large-scale migration of the northern Han people to the south, and the economic center of gravity began to shift south.
Quyuan plow
3. Handicrafts.
1] Policy. The "artisan households", who are specialized in handicraft production, regularly serve in the government-run handicraft workshops.
2] Textile industry. The silk weaving industry absorbed Persian weaving methods and pattern styles.
3] Ceramics industry. Gongxian Tang Sancai, forming the pattern of Nanqing [Yuezhou] and Beibai [Xingzhou], the most precious is the secret color porcelain of Yue kiln, and porcelain gradually replaced pottery to become the necessities of people's daily utensils.
4] The emergence of new industries. Printing industry, gunpowder manufacturing industry.
4. Business.
1] Policy. The policy of emphasizing agriculture and suppressing business has been loosened - the government and business have divided profits and encouraged overseas trade.
2] Business innovation. Didian - concurrently operates hotels and warehouses, cabinet shop - stores gold and silver goods for nobles, wealthy merchants, officials, and usurers, and flies money - exchange for [similar bills of exchange].
The era name money began to dominate in the Tang Dynasty
There have been records of loan disputes in the "Zhou Li", and there were more loans in kind in the Spring and Autumn Period, and monetary credit appeared. The Tang Dynasty developed from deposits and loans to foreign exchange and flying money.
The pawnshop was formed in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and the Tang Dynasty gained legal status as an independent financial institution. In the Tang and Song dynasties, it was commonly known as the quality warehouse, the decorating the library, and the decantatization, which was mainly engaged in mortgage small loans and currency exchange. After the Song Dynasty, while carrying out general consumer chattel mortgage lending, it also began to make operational lending, and gradually developed interest-bearing deposits. In the Qing Dynasty, it was also engaged in the issuance of silver tickets, money tickets, meeting tickets and rice grain pawns.
3] Market structure. At the end of the Tang Dynasty, the pattern of the fang market began to be broken, and a night market appeared. Yangzhou and Yizhou surpassed the northern cities in the late Tang Dynasty, Yangzhou was at the intersection of the Yangtze River and the canal and close to the sea, and there were also night markets, becoming the national economic center. The grass market developed, and a purely commercial market town began to appear. Until the Tang Dynasty, the establishment and abolition of the city were determined by the orders of the imperial court. All the cities were official cities under the administration of the imperial court, and the trading hours of the cities were also restricted. The government's strict control of merchants and markets constrained the free development of commerce.
"Guest Envoy Map": All Nations Come to Dynasty. The mural of the tomb of Prince Zhang Huai.
5. Foreign trade.
1] Goods. Porcelain began to be exported in large quantities, as far as Europe and Africa. China has introduced fine horses, new varieties of plants, spices, medicinal herbs, glass, glass, etc. Chinese silk once became a symbol of wealth and status in the West. Chinese porcelain and tea are popular in Asia, Africa and Europe, enriching the lives of local people.
2] Management. Municipal Marine Commander.
3] Foreign businessmen. Hu merchants-Persian shops, big food merchants, etc.
4】商路。 丝绸之路，陆海并举。
Fourth, culture.
1. Ideology.
1] During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, Taoism, a native Chinese religion that emerged at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, was widely spread among the people, and Buddhism was prevalent in China. Confucianism, as the dominant ideology, began to absorb the spirit of Buddhism and Taoism, and there was a new development.
2] Sui Dynasty "Three Religions Combined to Confucianism": During the Sui Dynasty, Confucian scholars proposed that Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism should be "three religions combined into Confucianism", advocating that Confucianism should be the mainstay, and the theories of Buddhism and Taoism should be reconciled and absorbed.
3] The rulers of the Tang Dynasty pursued a parallel policy of three religions, taking Laozi as their ancestor, and Taoism was the most revered. During the time of Wu Zetian, Buddhism also developed greatly in society, forming different sects. Zen Buddhism was formed.
"Kunlun Nu Morning Glory". Li Yuan's funeral tomb mural.
4] Anti-Buddha thoughts and actions
(1) Background: Buddhism is prevalent, and the extensive repair of temples consumes a lot of money, and many laborers are not engaged in production, which seriously affects the government's financial revenue.
(2) Anti-Buddha thought. In response to Buddhism's view of the separation of form and spirit, and the immortality of the form and the immortality of the god, Fan Zhen of the Southern Dynasty proposed that the human spirit and body are unified, and attacked Buddhism.
(3) Destroy the Buddha. The rulers of the Northern Wei Dynasty, the Northern Zhou Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty destroyed Buddhism several times, and the Buddhist culture suffered losses, but the development of Buddhism was not fundamentally curbed.
5] Revival of Confucianism
(1) Background: The development of Buddhism and Taoism challenged the orthodoxy of Confucianism.
(2) Representative: Han Yu in the middle of the Tang Dynasty took the lead in proposing the revival of Confucianism. Starting from the maintenance of feudal rule, he used the Confucian doctrine of the Mandate of Heaven and the feudal program to oppose the Buddhist viewpoint and consolidate the dominance of the mainstream of Confucianism.
6] Zen Buddhism. According to the legend, Bodhidharma is the founder, is respected as the first ancestor, Hui Neng is the leader, through the efforts of Hui Neng's disciple Shenhui and others, by the attention of the feudal town and even the royal family, advocating the pure nature of the heart, enlightenment without false seeking, not heavy precepts, not restrained work, not writing words, emphasizing "no thought", "no phase", "that is, the heart is a Buddha", "seeing nature to become a Buddha", self-proclaimed "Dunmen". As a representative classic of Zen Buddhism, the "Sutra of the Altar of the Six Patriarchs" advocates that the heart is pure, the Buddha nature is inherent, and the enlightenment is not pretended, and the meaning of the text is abandoned, and the heart is directly understood. It is believed that "in the nature of the self, all dharmas can be seen, and all dharmas are free and are called the pure dharmakaya." All wisdom is born from self-nature, not from the outside, if you know your own nature, "when you hear the words, you will realize the truth, and you will see the truth as your nature", and put forward the idea of "enlightenment" of "becoming a Buddha in the body".
2. Literature.
Tang Poetry: Tang Dynasty poetry creation entered a golden age. The poems of Li Bai and Du Fu represent the highest achievements of Tang poetry, and they are known as "poet immortals" and "poet saints" respectively.
3. Art.
Calligraphy, painting, sculpture, dance, etc
1] Calligraphy. The art of calligraphy in the Sui and Tang dynasties combined the beauty of the Southern Dynasties and the vigor of the Northern Dynasties to create a new style. Yan Zhenqing's majestic Yan body and Liu Gongquan's strong willow body are the most famous.
Waisu cursive
2] Painting. The paintings of the Sui and Tang dynasties have a wide range of subjects and diverse styles. Religious paintings have a strong atmosphere of life, figure paintings focus on the expression of human forms, and landscapes, flowers and birds have also become the themes of paintings. Wu Daozi of the Tang Dynasty was revered as the "painting saint".
3] Sculpture: Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes in Gansu Province, etc., which are world-famous art treasure houses.
(1) Construction. Founded in the former Qin, after the construction of the Sixteen Kingdoms, the Northern Dynasties, the Sui, the Tang, the Five Dynasties, the Western Xia, the Yuan and other dynasties, forming a huge scale, the existing caves 735, 45,000 square meters of murals, 2,415 clay colored sculptures.
(2) Evaluation. It is the world's largest and richest Buddhist art shrine. There are more than 50,000 ancient cultural relics in the Tibetan scripture cave discovered in modern times, which derives from the discipline of Dunhuang Studies, which specializes in the study of Tibetan scripture cave classics and Dunhuang art. In 1961, it was announced as one of the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units. In 1987, it was listed as a World Cultural Heritage Site. The Mogao Grottoes are located at a strategic point on the Silk Road. It was not only a transit point for trade between East and West, but also a meeting point for religion, culture, and knowledge.
4] Singing and dancing. Pear Orchard - Drama Production. Xuanzong coached singing and dancing artists in the palace, and the singing and dancing drama had a certain plot and conflict. The Sui and Tang dynasties were the heyday of the development of court dance, and the government-run music and dance institutions included the Jiaofang Division, Liyuan, Taichang Temple, etc., which concentrated on training a large number of professional music and dance artists. They inherited the music and dance traditions of the previous generations, absorbed the music and dance from various ethnic groups and the Western Regions, and created many beautiful and moving new works, showing the brilliant achievements of ancient court dance.
4. Technology.
1] Architecture: The Zhaozhou Bridge, designed and built by Li Chun, a craftsman of the Sui Dynasty, is the oldest surviving stone arch bridge in the world.
2] Printing: The Tang Dynasty already had Buddhist scriptures, calendars and books printed in engraving.
3] Gunpowder: Books from the middle of the Tang Dynasty record the recipe for gunpowder. At the end of the Tang Dynasty, gunpowder began to be used in warfare, and rockets were the earliest gunpowder weapons.
4] Astronomy: Tang Dynasty astronomers and monks measured the length of the earth's meridian.
5] Medicine: Sun Simiao's "A Thousand Golden Prescriptions". Tang Materia Medica is the world's earliest pharmacopoeia promulgated by the state.
5. Cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries.
1] Xuanzang, a high monk of the Tang Dynasty, also traveled west to Tianzhu to learn scriptures in the early years of Zhenguan, studied in Nalanda Temple for many years, and traveled to many countries to give lectures.
2] The Tang Dynasty monk Jianzhen crossed to the east six times and arrived in Japan through hardships and dangers to teach Buddhism.
3] Japan sent envoys to the Tang Dynasty. International students in Japan. Kukai came to Chang'an to seek the law.
4] Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty, was an international metropolis that gathered envoys, merchants, and expatriates from many countries and regions.
5] The cultures of both Silla and Japan were greatly influenced by the Tang Dynasty.
6] Chinese cultural circle.
Before the 3rd century, Chinese characters were introduced to Korea, Japan, and Vietnam, creating Hangul, Kana, and Murmur characters respectively, which promoted the development of local cultural exchanges. After the 3rd century, Confucianism became popular in East and Southeast Asia. After the Sui and Tang dynasties, North Korea and Japan used Confucian classics as school textbooks, and Confucianism became official science. After the 4th century, Sinicized Buddhism was introduced to Korea and Japan. The systems of Korea, Japan, and Vietnam originated from China, and in the 7th century, Japan reformed in the Dahua Revolution, and implemented a centralized system, a land system, and a tax system, all of which were modeled after the Tang Dynasty. Vietnam's imperial examination system is basically the same as China's. East and Southeast Asia were deeply influenced by Tang culture in terms of laws, calendars, architecture, paintings, music, food, clothing, festivals, customs, etc.