People could live the ‘American Dream’ in Tang Dynasty China, study finds
The Middle Ages are not typically seen as a time when ordinary people could have upward social mobility. However, new research focusing on China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) reveals that men could rise to better careers as if they had lived in the United States during the 1960s.
How to Guard Your Tang Dynasty Tomb
Let us delve into the surprisingly colorful and cute world of Tang dynasty ‘tomb guardians’.
Salt mafias and rebellion in medieval China
Salt was big business in Tang China, and for certain individuals the vibrant but illegal trade in contraband salt paved the way for grander, imperial ambitions.
Parenting Tips from a Tang Dynasty General
What was it like to have this famous general as a father?
A Tang dynasty monk and his secret candy recipe
A new column by Elizabeth Smithrosser will be looking at China in the Middle Ages. In her first post she looks at a very tasty treat dating back to the Tang dynasty.
The Battle of Talas
How did the armies of the Abbasid Caliphate and the Tang Dynasty, two empires that were worlds apart, meet in Central Asia?
A Landmark in the History of Chinese Ceramics: The Invention of Blue-and-white Porcelain in the Tang Dynasty (618–907 A.D.)
This study investigates the origin and development of Tang blue-and-white porcelain.
Images on Popular Religion Altars of the Heroes Involved in the Suppression of the An Lushan Rebellion (AD 755-763)
China suffered a major internal political upheaval between 755 and 763 when General An Lushan led a rebellion against the Tang emperor.
Women in the Tang Dynasty: Prescribed, dependent and scary
Images from the Tang dynasty 唐朝 (618–907) present us with independent and powerful women, conferring the idea that the Tang dynasty was the one era in Chinese history in which the patriarchal grip was not as tight as during other dynasties.
Tremors in the Web of Trade: Complexity, Connectivity and Criticality in the Mid-Eighth Century Eurasian World
Events within a fifteen-year period in mid-eighth century Eurasia included the Abbasid revolution, An Lu-shan’s Rebellion in Tang China, and the collapse or emergence of empires from Frankish Europe to Tibet to the kingdom of Srivajaya.
Inter-religious Debate at the Court of the Early Tang: An Introduction to Daoxuan’s Ji gujin Fo Dao lunheng
During Six dynasties, Daoists as well as Buddhists gained access to the highest levels of society and to the imperial court in the south and in the north of China.
Asian Origins of Cinderella: The Zhuang Storyteller of Guangxi
The acceptance and understanding of the Asian origins of the “Cinderella” story should replace the widely held belief that the story is fundamentally Western or universal. The Zhuang, an ethnic group at the intersection of China and Vietnam, combined ideas from their own traditions and experiences with motifs from Hindu and Buddhist narratives circulating in their area during the Tang Dynasty, and should be credited with creating this subversive, virginal, talented, and compassionate heroine.
Ending an Era: The Huang Chao Rebellion of the Late Tang, 874-884
Huang Chao was a rebel leader during the late Tang dynasty; he and his followers successfully marauded through China from 875 until his death in 884 C.E. During that time, he conquered and sacked many important cities of the empire, such as Guangzhou and the capital city, Chang’an.
Ending an era : the Huang Chao Rebellion of the late Tang, 874-884
Huang Chao was a rebel leader during the late Tang dynasty; he and his followers successfully marauded through China from 875 until his death in 884 C.E. During that time, he conquered and sacked many important cities of the empire, such as Guangzhou and the capital city, Chang’an.