Tang dynasty

The Tang dynasty (Chinese: 唐朝; pinyin: Tángcháo) (18 June 618 – 4 June 907) was an imperial dynasty of China. It came after the Sui Dynasty and was followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li (李) family, who came to power during the fall of the Sui Empire. The dynasty was interrupted for a short time by the Zhou dynasty (周) (16 October 690 – 3 March 705) founded by Empress Wu Zetian who managed to claim the throne, becoming the first and only Chinese Empress.

Tang 唐
618–907 690–705: Zhou dynasty
Tang dynasty c. 669. Map of China during the Tang Dynasty. In yellow are the territories of China and the area of vassals and allies are in dark yellow.
Capital	Chang'an (618–684 and 705–904) Luoyang (684–705 and 904–907)
Common languages	Middle Chinese
Religion	Chinese Buddhism Taoism Chinese folk religion Nestorianism Manichaeism Zoroastrianism
Government	Monarchy
Emperor
• 618–626 (first)	Emperor Gaozu
• 626–649	Emperor Taizong
• 712–756	Emperor Xuanzong
• 904–907 (last)	Emperor Ai
History
•	June 18, 618
• Usurped by Wu Zetian	690–705a
• An Lushan Rebellion	755–763b
•	June 1, 907
Area
715
Population
• 7th century	50 million
• 9th century	80 million
Currency	Chinese coin Chinese cash
Preceded by Succeeded by Sui dynasty Eastern Turkic Khaganate Western Turkic Khaganate Goguryeo Later Liang Wu Wuyue Min Former Shu Khitans
a October 8, 690 – March 3, 705. b December 16, 755 – February 17, 763.

Tang dynasty
"Tang dynasty" in Han characters
Chinese	唐朝
Transcriptions Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin Táng cháo - Wade–Giles T‘ang2 ch‘ao2 - IPA [tʰǎŋ ʈʂʰǎu] - Gwoyeu Romatzyh Tarng chaur Min - Taiwanese Romanization Tông tiâu Wu - Romanization Dáõn záu Cantonese (Yue) - Jyutping Tong4 ciu4 - IPA [tʰɔ̏ːŋ tsʰȉːu] - Yale Romanization Tong4 chiu4 Middle Chinese - Middle Chinese dang djew

The Tang Dynasty, with its capital at Chang'an (today Xi'an), was the biggest city in the world at the time. It is considered by historians as a high point in Chinese civilization—maybe even greater than the earlier Han Dynasty—as well as a golden age of cosmopolitan culture.

Empress Wu, the first woman to ever rule in China, was also included in the Tang Dynasty. Her methods were sometimes vicious, but she was very intelligent and talented.

Tang Dynasty Media

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  Portrait painting, dating to the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), depicting Emperor Gaozu (born Li Yuan, 566–635), the first Tang emperor.

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  "Great Tang" (大唐 Dà Táng) in seal characters.

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  Empress Wu (Wu Zetian), the sole officially recognized empress regnant of China in more than two millennia. She first ruled through her husband and sons for almost three decades, then became emperor herself and ruled in her own right for another fifteen years.

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  The Leshan Giant Buddha, 71 m (233 ft) high; begun in 713, completed in 803

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  Nanchan Temple (Wutai), built during the late 8th century

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  Xumi Pagoda, built in 636

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  A late Tang mural commemorating the victory of General Zhang Yichao over the Tibetans in 848 AD, from Mogao cave 156

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  Emperor Xuanzong of Tang wearing the robes and hat of a scholar

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  Tang tomb figure of an official dressed in Hanfu, with a tall hat, wide-sleeved belted outer garment, and rectangular "kerchief" in front. A white inner gown hangs over his square shoes. He holds a tablet to his chest, a report to his superiors.

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  Civil service exam candidates gather around the wall where results had been posted. Artwork by Qiu Ying.

Other websites

• The Tang Dynasty at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Home of 300 Tang Poems, University of Virginia
• The Tang Dynasty Archived 2011-07-07 at the Wayback Machine at AsianSpiritGallery