Tang 唐 dynasty (617/18 - 907 AD)

The uprising of the Tang dynasty was marked by the dual rulership of Li Yuan and his son Li Shimin. In the following years, Li Shimin deposed his father and declared himself the exclusive emperor. During the Tang dynasty, China experienced a heyday, due to its successful political system, numerous economic measures and social institutions. China became one of the most important empires around the world.

The Basis:

The highest position in the state was held by the emperor and 3 imperial “teachers” or “dukes”.

Furthermore, the shipping routes were greatly expanded at that time. While during the Sui dynasty silk and rice were mainly transported by using the Imperial Canal, the variety of goods expanded during the Tang dynasty. Trades such as weaving, mining and minting gold and silver emerged.

The administration:

Significant for the administration of the Tang dynasty is the development in the civil service. The civil service had to prevail over and over again against groups at court. Those opponents included members of the imperial family, eunuchs and generals.

A state chancellery was established consisting of 6 ministries (shangshu sheng 尚书 省). These ministries included:

• The Ministry of Civil Servants: responsible for the appointment as well as the dismissal of civil servants. This ministry supervised the official examinations, held the function of the treasury, and also looked after the public granaries.
• The Ministry of Finance: responsible for the censuses
• The Ministry of Rites: The administrative affairs of the Ministry of Rites are not exactly definable. This ministry checked the Confucian character of the imperial examinations. Furthermore, the Ministry of Rites organized the imperial acts of sacrifice and supervised the offerings. In addition, the Ministry of Rites was responsible for looking after state guests and thus had an important function relating to foreign policy.
• The Military Ministry: This ministery was responsible for the personnel policy of the officer corps. They controlled the production of equipment and managed the depotsitory warehouses for weapons and food. In this way, this ministry played an important role in the economy of the empire.
• The Ministry of Justice: The Ministry of Justice was the supreme police authority of the Tang Empire. It was responsible for monitoring the foreign population as well as supervising the slaves.
• The Ministry of Labor: The Ministry of Labor was the largest government department and was of great importance for the economy of the empire. The ministry was responsible for building roads and palaces, building fortifications and managing the military colonies.

In addition to these ministries, there were other important units in the administration, too.

• The Imperial Chancellery (menxia sheng 门下 省): The Imperial Chancellery was headed by two presidents. It was responsible for the transmission of decrees and supported the emperor in audiences and ceremonies. In addition, the Imperial Chancellery collected the imperial reports and memoranda.
• The Imperial Secretariat (zhongshu sheng 中书省): The Imperial Secretariat was entrusted with the ruling decrees and edicts and was responsible for official announcements. Furthermore, the Imperial Secretariat leaded the palace library and the office of historiography.
• The State Council: The State Council represented the head of the State Chancellery, consisting out of the most important officials.
• The Censorate (yushitai 御史 薹): The Censorate controlled the administrative apparatus and the observance of basic guidelines at the same time.

During the Tang dynasty  the law code (tanglü shuyi 唐律 疏 义: “definition of the offense”) was created. Following its guidelines, a decision was made about the punishment of a crime. The conviction process was based on the gravity of the offense as well as the social status of the criminal and the victim. This code of law is exemplary for all subsequent dynasties.

Agriculture:

The Tang dynasty continued the Sui legacy in many areas. The Tang rulers developed the "equal-field sytem of land distribution and taxation" (juntianzhi 均田制). By this means most of the arable land was only given for life. Taxes (grain, labor, textiles) were collected on a per capita basis. This led to the consolidation of the existing social order. However, this regulation only reflected a theoretical concept, as the scope of legality was very broad. At that time, the forced sale of land or the exchange of land were pronounced. Due to natural disasters, there were reductions in tax payments.

The military was characterized by the dominance of the cavalry armies. The militia (fubing 伏兵) was expanded during the rule of the Tang, and from the 8th century onwards, foreigners were also elevated to the position of general.

Territorial expansion in the 7th century AD:

Throughout history, China had multiple times been threatened by nomadic peoples. In the 6th century AD, the Turkic peoples, who had established a new steppe empire, presented a strong threat. It was not until 630 AD that the victory over the Turkic peoples succeeded. This resulted in close relations with the 2nd Iranian Empire of the Sasanids.

Empress Wu Zetian (624-705 AD):

During the Tang dynasty existed the one and only chinese empress: Wu Zetian. She prevailed against other officials with the help of Buddhism and its symbolic power. Wu Zetian founds the Zhou dynasty, which, however, did not last after her death. Her rule is characterized in particular by the promotion of various religions. So she supported Taoist and Buddhist monasteries, and also promoted Zoroastrianism, which originated from Iran, and Manichaeism.

The revolt of An Lushan and its aftermath:

The Tang dynasty flourished under the subsequent Emperor Xuanzong (712-756 AD).

Nevertheless, the dynasty was negatively influenced by various factors. These factors refer to the decline of agriculture, the increasing threats to the dynasty from outer regions, as well as the restructuring of the army into a mercenary army. As a result, the generals gained almost unlimited power.

The first signs of the decline of the Tang dynasty is represented by the defeat of the army against the Abbasid. But more decisive was the inner-political revolt of General An Lushan.