The Tang Dynasty: Golden Age In Chinese Civilization

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The Tang dynasty was known as the golden age in Chinese civilization. During this time Chinese painting developed drastically in technique as well as subject matter. These advancements in style and technique are what helped shape Tang painting, and influenced art in other places, such as East Asia and Central Asia. During the Tang Dynasty figure painting developed greatly, mainly due to paintings of monks, nobles and Buddha. These paintings were knows as court paintings. Figure painting reached its height in Southern Tang between 937 and 975, showcasing its elegant realism. This style of figure painting developed around and took influences from traditional literature, Buddhism, and Taoism. Murals, cave paintings, tomb paintings, …show more content…

Us as Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who gained power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire. The dynasty was interrupted briefly by the Second Zhou Dynasty this occurred in October 16, 690–March 3, 705 when Empress Wu Zetian took over the throne, becoming the first and only Chinese empress ruling in her own right. I feel us as a dynasty what we accomplished is a great thing in history. We as Tang Dynasty we are the most populous city in the world at the time. In regarded by historians as a high point in Chinese civilization equal to or surpassing that of the earlier Han Dynasty as well as a golden age of cosmopolitan culture. Our territory, acquired through the military campaigns of its early rulers, was greater than any other period china period has seen, we rivaled that of the later Yuan Dynasty, Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty. The enormous Grand Canal of China, built during the previous Sui Dynasty, facilitated the rise of new urban settlements along its route as well as increased trade between mainland Chinese markets. The canal is to this day the longest in the world. In two censuses of the 7th and 8th centuries, the Tang records stated that the population (by number of registered households) was about 50 million people. However, even when the central government was …show more content…

Like the previous Sui Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty maintained a civil service system by drafting officials through standardized examinations and recommendations to office. This civil order was undermined by the rise of regional military governors known as jiedushi during the 9th century. Chinese culture flourished and further matured during the Tang era; it is considered the greatest age for Chinese poetry. Two of China's most famous historical poets, Du Fu and Li Bai, belonged to this age, as well as the poets Meng Haoran, Du Mu, and Bai Juyi. Many famous visual artists lived during this era, such as the renowned painters Han Gan, Zhang Xuan, and Zhou Fang. There was a rich variety of historical literature compiled by scholars, as well as encyclopedias and books on geography. There were many notable innovations during the Tang, including the development of woodblock printing, the government compilations of materia medica, improvements in cartography and the application of hydraulics to power air conditioning fans. The religious and philosophical ideology of Buddhism became a major aspect of Chinese culture, with native Chinese sects becoming the most prominent. However, Buddhism would eventually be persecuted by the state and would decline in influence. Although the dynasty and central