In May 1999, Kaiser left Tang Dynasty following an argument with Ding over the United States bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade. He was subsequently replaced by Iron Kite frontman Yu Yang, who was in turn replaced by young guitar virtuoso Chen Lei. In 2002, Liu Yijun rejoined the band. The band's third album, "Romantic Knight", was not released until June 2008. After Liu left again in January 2009, Tang Dynasty continued as a four-piece. Their fourth album, "Thorn", was released in November 2013, and was a radical departure from the band's usual folk-based sound. In 2014 the band toured internationally in New Zealand, Fiji, and Algeria. Tang Dynasty continues to tour and perform in China.