The Tang Dynasty- Chinas Golden Age Explained in One Video(Part I)

The Tang Dynasty, one of the greatest dynasties in Chinese history, lasted 289 years. Today, we're going to tell its full story in two videos. This is part one, covering the founding, the Xuanwu Gate incident, the reign of Zhenguan, and the era of Wu Zetian. Neither too basic, nor overly academic. The story it covers is something that most Chinese people are already pretty familiar with. Besides Chinese history, I'll also bring in a few comparisons with Western history to make it easier to understand. Okay, I'm Zhuge, a man who loves history and tea. Let's begin. Before the Tang, China was ruled by the Sui Dynasty. The Sui ended near 400 years of division, the longest period of fragmentation in Chinese history. Imagine this, after the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476, Europe went through centuries of barbarian kingdoms, Charlemagne's empire, and the long evolution of Byzantium. Finally, it reunited once again under the name of Rome. That's basically what happened in China after the Han Dynasty collapsed. The three kingdoms, a short reunification under the Jin, and then centuries of chaos during the Five Barbarians, and the Northern and Southern Dynasties to the Sui. Then the Sui Dynasty accomplished a ton of things in a very short time. They built the Grand Canal connecting North and South, a project that would shape China's economic lifeline for the next thousand years. They also laid the foundation for an imperial examination system, opening a path for talented commoners to enter government. But that was also the problem. Everything was rushed. Everything was forced. The second ruler, Emperor Yang of Sui, Yang Guang, constantly mobilized labor, building walls, constructing the eastern capital, digging canals. And on top of that, he launched three massive campaigns against Gregorio. People were exhausted. The empire cracked. Some say Emperor Yang was like Nero of the Roman Empire. Others say he was more like a failed version of Emperor Qin Shi Huang Amid the chaos, a nobleman, Li Yuan, Yang Guang's cousin, raised an army in Taiyuan. The Sui's main forces were already tied down fighting rebellions, so he marched into capital Chang'an with little resistance. In 618, Emperor Yang was killed in Yangzhou. Li Yuan declared himself emperor and founded the Tang Dynasty. But at that point, Tang controlled only the Guanzhong region. The rest of the country was still divided among rival warlords. The man who truly conquered the empire was Li Yuan's second son, Li Shimin. He personally commanded decisive campaigns, defeating powerful rivals one by one. For example, at the Battle of Hulaopas, he captured two of the most powerful warlords in one single campaign, Wang Shichong and Dou Jiande. Li Shimin is widely regarded as one of the most outstanding military leaders in Chinese history, whether as a general or as an emperor. It's a bit like Philip II laying the groundwork and Alexander the Great winning the glory. But there was one problem, one big problem. His father, Li Yuan, Emperor Li Yuan, was still alive, and Li Shimin's prestige was soaring, even surpassing the emperor himself. Once, by law and tradition, the crown prince belonged to Li Yuan's eldest son, Li Yuan's first son and Li Shimin's elder brother, Li Jiancheng. The tension between father and sons, between brothers, was building. A deadly power struggle became inevitable. Crown Prince Li Jiancheng was not incompetent. He had legitimacy and support from the members of the royal clan. But he knew something very clearly. In the army and among the people, he could not compete with his brother. To secure his position, Li Jiancheng allied with his younger brother Li Yuanji and tried to suppress Li Shimin's faction. Meanwhile, Li Shimin had some of the most talented men in the empire behind him, brilliant strategists and battle-hardened generals. Emperor Li Yuan tried to balance the situation. He didn't want to break the principle of primogeniture, but he also depended heavily on Li Shimin's military ability. His indecision pushed things towards bloodshed. In 626, Li Shimin made the first move at the north gate of the capital, Xuanwu Gate. He set an ambush. When Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji arrived, they walked straight into a trap. Li Shimin personally shouted and killed his elder brother. His general killed the younger one. Afterwards, Li Shimin purged his brother's supporters and seized full control of the court. Li Yuan understood the situation. Two months later, he abdicated. Li Shimin became the emperor. He had taken the throne through violence, questionable, ruthless. If you are looking for powerless, the Mogao struggle between Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb might actually be closer than Philip and Alexander. And there was another story that after killing his brothers, Li Shimin suffered nightmares. He believed their spirits haunted him. So two of his generals, Qin Chong and Yuchi Jingde, stoned guards outside his bedroom at night. Later, these two figures became the traditional door guards in China. Chinese people paste on their doors even today. Li Shimin is known in history as Emperor Taizong of Tang. However controversial his rise to power was, the next 23 years proved something extraordinary. He was one of the greatest rulers in Chinese history. As mentioned in one of Mao's famous poem, he together with Qin Shi Huang, Emperor Wu of Han, Emperor Taizong of Song and Genghis Khan were regarded as five of the greatest rulers in Chinese history. Actually, in every ranks of emperors of Chinese, you could definitely find him in top three. He often reminded himself, The people are like water. What can carry the boat also overturn it. He welcomed criticism and valued outspoken ministers like Wei Zheng. There was a famous story. Once after Wei Zheng angered him in court, Taizong stormed back to the palace and said, One day, I will kill that pedant. However, Empress Zhangsun congratulated him instead. She said, A wise ruler allows ministers to speak honestly. If Wei Zheng dares to criticize you, it's because your majesty is wise. Taizong calmed down. He once said, With bronze as a mirror, you can straighten your clothes. With history as a mirror, you can understand the rise and fall of states. But with people as a mirror, you can see your own faults. Wei Zheng was that mirror for me. Under his rule, taxes were light, the world tour population recovered. He improved the government structure of the three departments and six ministries, and strengthened the examination system abroad. He crushed the Eastern Turks and was ordered by Central Asian states as heavenly kind. The capital Chang'an became the greatest city in the world. This golden era is known as the reign of Zhenguan. In 629, a monk named Xuanzang traveled to India to obtain Buddhist scriptures and came back to Chang'an after 16 years. Emperor Taizong later received him, supported his translations, and honored his contribution to Buddhism in China. This story was later adapted into the famous novel, Journey to the West in the Ming Dynasty. But just like many great rulers in history, think Charlemagne or Harry A. O. Rashid who lived around the same time, the next generations brought trouble. Taizong's sons began fighting for succession. Fearing another Xuanwu Gate scenario, in the end, Emperor Taizong exiled his two most outstanding sons, Crown Prince Li Chengqian and his fourth son, Li Tai. History was repeating itself. In 649, Taizong left his people. His ninth son, Li Zhi, became Emperor Gaozong. During his reign, Tang territory reached its peak. Here, let's talk about the territory of the Tang Dynasty. You may come across different versions of Tang maps, and the key issue is how the regions governed by the protectorates should be drawn. Unlike the central administered regions, the protectorates were headed by military governors appointed by central governments, while local affairs were often managed by existing local rulers. Here are two maps of the Tang Dynasty during the reign of Emperor Gaozong. The lighter colored areas represented protectorates, as you can see, including the Korean Peninsula, Mongolia, Vietnam, and some places in Central Asia. Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi is often regarded as an underrated ruler. In a fierce political struggle, he ultimately defeated Zhangsun Wuji, his powerful uncle at the region left by his father Li Shimin. But Gaozong was chronically ill. He struggled to manage state affairs that opened the door for one of the most extraordinary figures in Chinese history, Wu Zetian. He had originally been Taizong's concubine. After Taizong's death, he became a nun, and later returned to the palace as Gaozong's consort. It was controversial, but Wu Zetian was particularly brilliant and useless. She rose through the ranks and finally became empress. As Gaozong's health declined, she gradually took control of the government. After his death, she didn't step back. She had four sons. One died early. One was forced to commit suicide. Two were installed as emperors by her, but then deposed. At 690, she declared herself emperor, founding a new dynasty called Zhou. Throughout Chinese history, several women had held the highest political power, such as Queen Dowager Xuan of Qin, the great-great-grandmother of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, Emperor's Lu, the wife of Liu Bang of Han, Emperor's Dowager Feng of Northern Wei, Liu'e of the Northern Song, and Emperor's Dowager Cixi in the late Qing dynasty. Yet among all of them, Wu Zetian was the only female emperor ever formally took the throne herself. Unlike Catherine the Great, who ruled Russia but remained within the Romanov dynasty, Wu Zetian changed its name. Technically speaking, from a traditional Chinese perspective, the Tang dynasty ended at that moment. But since the throne later returned to her sons, historians usually treat this period as part of Tang dynasty. Her reign was controversial. She used secret police and harsh punishments against political enemies. But she also expanded the examination system, promoted talent regardless of background, and strengthened the bureaucracy. Table officials emerged during her rule. Her era laid the groundwork for the later Kaiyuan Golden Age. In her later years, dissatisfied with the influence of her male favorites, loyalists of the Li family launched a coup. The Shenlong Coup, Wu Zetian was forced to abdicate. There is one final detail. In Chinese tradition, powerful figures often leave long inscriptions on their tomb listing their achievements. Wu Zetian left a blank stele, a world's last monument in Xi'an. No explanation. Let history judge her. And that concludes the first half of Tang dynasty. Interestingly, while Wu Zetian stepped down in 705, only about one third of Tang's timeline had passed. But because of giants like Taizong and Wu Zetian, it feels like the dynasty's peak was already complete. However, the story later was even wonderful. After her death, Tang fell into nearly a decade of chaos. Multiple coups followed, until a young man, a young prince, stepped forward and stabilized the empire. Li Longji, the future emperor Xuanzong, exists where part two begins. So thanks for your listening. If you like Chinese history, if you like comparisons between Eastern and Western history and events, please give me a like and subscribe. And see you next time.