1. Chapter 10 The Early Tang Empire & Rivals for Power in Inner Asia and China

2. The Early Tang Empire 618-755 Tang Origins
In 618 C.E the Li family created an empire similar to the Sui and named it the Tang Empire under the rule of the first emperor, Li Shimin (Bulliet 245).
Li Shimin began a state ruling system by seperating the empire into 300 subdivisions under central control under through the officials he chose ( )
The Tang elites and nobles were descendants from the Turkic elites and Chinese officials.
Like the Sui, the Tang Empire practiced Confucianism to help pick bureaucratic office and set a social system.
The early art consisted of sculptures of horses and two humped camels that were often used in Silk Road trade.
The military combines Chinese technologies and Inner Asian horsemanship expertise (Bulliet 247).

3. The Early Tang Empire 618-755 Buddhism and The Tang Empire
Tang rulers followed Buddhism and used the spiritual functions to help them govern.
Mahayana, or “Great Vehicle”, was a variation of Buddhism that dominated the Tang Empire and it related to the faith in bodhisattvas (Bulliet 247).
Mahayanists did not consider themselves to be creating a new form of Buddhism, but recovering the original teachings of Buddhism ( ).
Mahayana allowed for absorption of local gods and goddesses, which made it popular and it quickly spread.
As the Tang Empire expanded to the West and had increased encounters with other Chinese and Indians, the Buddhist faith became more complex.
Chang’an was the Tang capital and a meeting place of many different cultures, who absorbed many of the Mahayana ideas and customs while maintaining their individuality (Bulliet 247).

4. The Early Tang Empire 618-755 To Chang’an by Land and Sea
Chang’an was the capital established by the Sui, and remained the capital city of the Tang Empire.
The Grand Canal was important for the transportation of Chang’an even though it didn’t reach Chang’an.
Chang’an was the center of the tributary system in which the states sent embassies to the capital to pay tribute to the emperor (Bulliet 247).
Chang’an consisted of over a million people that mainly lived in suburbs, while the foreigners lived in special compounds.
The city had several gates that separated the city into an east and west side. There were many guards to control crime; and the Grand Canal was heavily patrolled ( ).
There was a great amount of routes connecting to Chang’an. One sea route linking Red Sea and Persian Gulf with Canton brought East Asia the bubonic plague (Bulliet 250).

5. The Early Tang Empire 618-755 Trade and Cultural Exchange
The Tang Empire was very open and accepting to many cultures, and traders and merchants that were present in Chang’an due to trade along the Silk Road helped develop the empires colorful culture. ( )
Instead of wearing robes like previous Chinese empires, the Tang working people wore pants and replaced hemp with cotton.
The government promoted polo, which was popular in the steppes, and like Inner Asian societies, the noble woman were encouraged to play.
Stringed instruments and Turkic melodies came to the Tang Empire through trade along the Silk Road. (Bulliet 250).
Exports from Tang increased greatly, making the imports to China much smaller.
China was still the main producer of fine Silk and the Tang factories often produced great quantities. As the exports increased, the Tang became more commercialized (Bulliet 251).

6. Rivals for Power in Inner Asia and China, 600-907 The Uighur and Tibetan Empires
Turkish people migrated to present day Turkey and Li Shimin took advantage and controlled the land. Over a centuries time a new Turkic group, the Uighurs, had controlled much of Central Asia. (Bulliet 252).
The language group of this region was Eurasiatic, which consisted of many languages, allowing the Uighurs merchants to make transactions in several languages (
Chinese pilgrimage to India led to a great amount of contact between India and Tibet, which is why Tibet's language and culture was influenced by India.
Tibet and China were always cautious of each other, but in 634 a Tang princess, Kongjo, went to Tibet to marry the King, which made an alliance.
In the 800’s the Tibetan king tried to eliminate the political and social influence of monasteries, but he was assassinated by a monk, switching the control to the monasteries and making Tibet more isolated from other countries (Bulliet 253).

7. Rivals for Power in Inner Asia and China, 600-907 Upheavals and Repression, 750-879
Tang elites began to see Buddhism as undermining the Confucian idea of family and the state model.
A scholar named Han Yu ( ) tried to get people return to the traditional Confucian customs, and he wrote “Memorial on the Bone of Buddha” to the emperor in 819 C.E (Bulliet 252).
Buddhism was also disliked because it encouraged women into politics. For example, Wu Zhao was an Empress and became Emperor in 690 after leading the meetings while her husband (the emperor) was ill. (
Wu Zhao and other women with power were often accused of false wrong doings, like Yang Guifei was blamed for the An Lushan rebellion in 755.
Besides false claims, Wu Zhao was a great ruler and ruled until the age of 85.
Buddhists, also called “barbarians”, were often blamed for ruining the society.
In 840 the government aimed to crush the monasteries, which led to a great tax exemption allowing for purchases of land and employment of people (Bulliet 253).

8. Rivals for Power in Inner Asia and China, 600-907 The End of the Tang Empire, 879-907
Expansion campaigns led to the empire being solely dependent on on local military and tax collection.
The military began to become under funded as they continued to lose battles, like the Battle of the Talas River in 751.
In 755 An Lushan, also known as An Shi, led a rebellion of 200,000 soldiers that destroyed the government and even after he died in 757 when his son murdered him, it lasted a total of eight years.
The rebellion was stopped by new powers and the help of the Uighurs (Bulliet 253).
During Emperor Xizong’s reign, the rebellion of Huang Chao Rebellion broke out, which gained hundreds of thousands of poor farmers and tenants. (
The rebellion was stopped by local warlords through violent tactics, but peace was never restored and even though emperors continued to rule Chang’an until 907, the Tang Empire was never effective after the rebellion. (Bulliet 254).

9. Questions Who was the founder and first emperor of the Tang Empire?
A) Han Yu B) Wu Zhao
B) Li Shimin C) An Lushan
E) Han Yu
What created an alliance between China and Tibet?
A) The shared belief in Buddhism B) Trade amongst each other
C) Attempt to eliminate monasteries D) Influence from Indian culture
E) Marriage between opposing powers
Which of the following was a reason for the end of the Tang Empire?
A) War against the Tibetans B) Lack of income from Silk
C) Volcanic eruption destroying Chang’an C) Bubonic plague
E) Huang Chao Rebellion

10. Bibliography Books: Web Documents:
Bulliet, Richard; The Earth and its Peoples. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2005
Web Documents:
Berkmen, Haluk "The Ancient Uighur (Uygur) Empire." ASTROSET | Astroloji ve Bireysel Geli. Web. 19 Oct <
"Empress Wu Zetian." HyperHistory.net. Web. 20 Oct <
 "End of China Tang Empire, Collapse of Tang Kingdom." China Travel Agency,China Tour,China Travel Tours,24/7 Trip Service. Web. 20 Oct <
"Mahayana Buddhism." Washington State University - Pullman, Washington. Web. 20 Oct <
"Tang Dyanasty ( )."  Huangshan China International Travel Service, Web. 19 Oct <
"WELCOME TO THE TANG DYNASTY XI`AN." Web. 19 Oct <

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