World History 1
Medieval Far East
Reading 2: Tang Dynasty China
TANG DYNASTY READING AND QUESTIONS
The Tang dynasty (618–907 CE) pushed the borders of China to Korea, Turkistan, Vietnam, and Persia and provided
relative stability within China for several centuries. The Tang also established many of the cultural, literary, and
artistic traditions that have come to define Chinese society. To this day, for example, the Chinese term for the
various "Chinatowns" in such places as New York is Tang Ren Jie, or "Tang People Street," signifying the continued
connection the Chinese hold with the achievements of the Tang. Poetry, painting, and even calligraphy reached
new heights in the first two centuries of Tang rule. That was made possible, in part, because of the internal
stability that China enjoyed under Tang rule.
Political Context
The Sui dynasty, which was in power only a short time (581–617), managed to unite northern and southern China
and set the stage for the Tang. Emperor Wendi, the founder of the Sui dynasty, was an able if ruthless leader who
wisely portrayed himself as Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist in order to appease various factions. He also
reorganized the giant government bureaucracy and made it more centralized. To facilitate travel and secure the
empire, Wendi also constructed the Da Yunhe, or Grand Canal, a massive project that connected the Yellow River
and Yangtze River. While his three attempts to take Korea failed, Wendi's son, Yang Di, sent armies into Vietnam,
Chinese Turkistan, and Mongolia, helping both to expand Chinese territory and secure China against its neighbors.
However, the prosperity that Wendi established was undone by Yang Di, whose expenditures, wars, and repressive
rule led to revolt, and in time, his death in 618.
Yang Di's successor was Emperor Gao Zu, the founder of the Tang dynasty. In 626, Gao Zu was forced to abdicate
by his son, Taizong, who had killed two of his own brothers to solidify his power base. Despite his initially violent
reign, Taizong was an excellent ruler. He continued the military programs of his forebearers, but he also further
centralized and strengthened the government. In addition, he founded schools that helped train young men in
Confucian doctrine and the literary traditions of China. Not only did those schools turn out able scholars, well
versed in China's rich literary tradition, but they also provided the government with future ministers. Those
officials, trained in the tenets of Confucianism, which stressed obedience and service, proved loyal and
hardworking. Taizong's rule saw a flourishing of artistic culture, enhanced by the cultural training of the Tang
officials and China's relatively peaceful conditions. Even when rebellion and civil war wracked later Tang society,
the high level of artistic achievement displayed by Tang painters and poets became the standard against which
future arts and letters were judged.
A Time of the Arts
The Tang dynasty, for many Chinese, represents the pinnacle of cultural attainment. The influence of Tang artists,
writers, and design was felt far from home as wellóthe Japanese kimono, for example, has its origins in the style of
dress worn by Tang women. Thanks to political stability, social harmony, and an openness that did not frown on
foreign influences, Tang art reached a respect that had hitherto only been shown to the cultural attainments of the
Han dynasty. Most representative of that cultural flowering is the eighth-century Tang emperor Xuanzong. An able
and honest ruler, Xuanzong was also an accomplished musician and patron of the arts. He founded the Hanlin
Academy, which trained scholars, and another school for dance and music.
Painting
Tang painters represent a watershed in Chinese pictorial art. In addition to murals, a few examples of which
survive at Dunhuang, Tang painters were renowned for their work on paper and silk. While many of those pieces
depict Buddhist themes, others deal with landscapes, horses, and portraiture. One seventh-century painter, Yan
Liben, produced the Portraits of the Emperors, but he also painted portraits of court officials, notable scholars,
foreign visitors, and animals. The most celebrated painter of the Tang period, and in all of Chinese history
according to some scholars, was Wu Daoxuan. Sadly, none of his work survives today, but he was greatly admired
both in his lifetime, when thousands of people are said to have watched him work, and afterwards when he
became the paragon of painters and someone to emulate.
Of all subjects, the one that is most closely associated with the Tang is landscape paintings. There were two major
styles. The work of such painters as Li Sixun, a practitioner of the so-called Northern school of painting, was
elegant, colorful, and worked well with both religious themes and courtly scenes. The Southern school was one
associated with well-educated amateur painters and poets. Wang Wei, one of the chief poets of the Tang period, is
a good example. Given to abstraction, the Southern school is most often associated with the landscape art of
imperial China.
Closely related to painting, calligraphyóthe elegant art of handwritingóthrived as well. While there were several
styles of calligraphy, master calligraphers would adapt tradition to their personal taste, often influencing later
writers. Calligraphy was even viewed as a window into one's personality; during the Tang period, a scholar's
handwriting was evaluated to determine what sort of imperial post he should receive. The idea behind this was
that writing revealed one's sense, values, and moral fitness.
Poetry
Du Fu, Li Bo, and Wang Wei, three of the chief poets of the Tang dynasty, represent not only the brightest
luminaries of the period but also some of the best poets China ever produced. Those men varied widely in
experience and outlook, but together they illuminated the major themes popular in their day. Du Fu, who never
passed the civil service exam and whose life at court was often difficult, wrote about his wanderings and
misfortunes. Li Bo, on the other hand, enjoyed an easier life and wrote about everything from drinking to love to
the life of a scholar to music. Approximately 50,000 poems survive from that period, and to this day, they are
required reading for Chinese students.
An Enduring Style
In many ways, the artistic accomplishments of the Tang came to represent a "golden age," a time when the
sophistication, beauty, and breadth of skills and subjects blended to create models for later artists. Everyone, from
emperor to peasant, enjoyed the rich poetry, music, and visual arts. The first half of the period enjoyed a security
that made it possible for the arts to flourish. Later dynasties continued the traditions refined by men like Yan Liben,
Li Sixun, and Li Bo, even though they rarely enjoyed the same degree of political stability. In the Song dynasty
(907–1276), which succeeded the Tang, the civil service exam grew in importance alongside a renewed sense of
Confucian piety. That test, and the importance placed on tradition in Confucianism, helped ensure that the glories
of the Tang would be preserved. Artists of the Song, and in every period since, have looked back to the Tang for
inspiration.
MLA Citation
"Tang Dynasty: Imperial Unity and Cultural Achievement (Overview)." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras.
ABC-CLIO, 2012. Web. 1 Oct. 2012.
QUESTIONS:
What political changes were made under Wendi that paved the way for Tang political unity?
What did Gaozu do during his reign as Tang emperor?
What were the three types of paintings that became popular during the Tang Dynasty?
What is so special about Tang Dynasty poetry?