Tang dynasty

The **Tang dynasty** () (June 18, 618 – June 4, 907) was an imperial dynasty of China.

## History

The Tang Dynasty came after the Sui Dynasty (隋) and was followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period (Traditional Chinese: 五代十國). It was founded by the Li (李) family, who came to power during the fall of the Sui Dynasty. The dynasty was interrupted briefly by the Wu Zhou (Traditional Chinese: 武周) usurper regime, (October 16, 690 – March 3, 705) founded by Empress Wu Zetian (Traditional Chinese: 武則天) who managed to claim the throne, becoming the first and only Chinese Empress.

The Tang Dynasty, with its capital at Chang'an (Traditional Chinese: 長安) in present-day Xi'an (Traditional Chinese: 西安), 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 (Traditional Chinese: 漢朝) – 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 ruling methods were sometimes vicious, but she was very talented and intelligent.

## Related pages

- Taoism
- East Asia
- Silk Road
- Buddhism
- Central Asia
- History of Asia
- History of China

## Other websites

- The Tang Dynasty at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Home of 300 Tang Poems, University of Virginia
- The Tang Dynasty  at AsianSpiritGallery

## Infobox (former country)

- **conventional long name**: Tang
- **common name**: Tang dynasty
- **status**: Empire
- **p1**: Sui dynasty
- **p2**: Eastern Turkic Khaganate
- **p3**: Western Turkic Khaganate
- **p4**: Goguryeo
- **s1**: Later Liang (Five Dynasties)Later Liang
- **s2**: Wu (Ten Kingdoms)Wu
- **s3**: Wuyue
- **s4**: Min (Ten Kingdoms)Min
- **s5**: Former Shu
- **s6**: Khitans
- **image map**: Tang outline map, 661.svg
- **image map caption**: Tang dynasty c. 669. Map of China during the Tang Dynasty.
- **common languages**: Middle Chinese
- **government type**: Monarchy
- **title leader**: Emperor
- **leader1**: Emperor Gaozu
- **year leader1**: 618–626
- **leader2**: Emperor Taizong of Tang, Emperor Taizong
- **year leader2**: 626–649
- **leader3**: Emperor Xuanzong
- **year leader3**: 712–756
- **leader4**: Emperor Ai
- **year leader4**: 904–907
- **event start**: Transition from Sui to Tang, Established
- **date start**: June 18,
- **year start**: 618
- **event1**: Usurped
by Wu Zetian
- **date event1**: 690–705<sup>a</sup>
- **event2**: An Lushan Rebellion, also called the An–Shi Rebellion Traditional Chinese characters, Traditional Chinese: 安史之亂)
- **date event2**: 755–763<sup>b</sup>
- **event end**: Abdication in favour of the Later Liang (Traditional Chinese characters, Traditional Chinese: 後梁)
- **date end**: June 1,
- **year end**: 907
- **stat year1**: 715
- **stat area1**: 5400000
- **stat year3**: 7th century
- **stat pop3**: 50 million
- **stat year4**: 9th century
- **stat pop4**: 80 million
- **footnotes**: <sup>a</sup> October 8, 690 – March 3, 705.
<sup>b</sup> December 16, 755 – February 17, 763.


## Infobox (chinese)

- **pic**: Tang dynasty (Chinese characters).svg
- **piccap**: "Tang dynasty" in Traditional Chinese characters
- **picupright**: 0.4
- **c**: 唐朝
- **p**: Táng cháo
- **w**: T‘ang<sup>2</sup> ch‘ao<sup>2</sup>
- **gr**: Tarng chaur
- **y**: Tong<sup>4</sup> chiu<sup>4</sup>
- **j**: Tong<sup>4</sup> ciu<sup>4</sup>
- **tl**: Tông tiâu
- **wuu**: Dáõn záu
- **mc**: dang djew