Tang Dynasty facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tang 唐
618–907 690–705: Zhou dynasty
Tang dynasty c. 669
Capital	Chang'an (618–684 and 705–904) Luoyang (684–705 and 904–907)
Common languages	Middle Chinese
Religion	Chinese Buddhism Taoism Chinese folk religion Nestorianism Manichaeism Zoroastrianism
Government	Monarchy
Emperor
• 618–626 (first)	Emperor Gaozu
• 626–649	Emperor Taizong
• 712–756	Emperor Xuanzong
History
• Established	June 18, 618
• Usurped by Wu Zetian	690–705a
• An Lushan Rebellion	755–763b
• Abdication in favour of the Later Liang	June 1, 907
Area
715	5,400,000 km2 (2,100,000 sq mi)
Population
• 7th century	50 million
• 9th century	80 million
Currency	Chinese coin Chinese cash
Preceded by Succeeded by Sui dynasty Eastern Turkic Khaganate Western Turkic Khaganate Goguryeo Later Liang Wu Wuyue Min Former Shu Khitans
a October 8, 690 – March 3, 705. b December 16, 755 – February 17, 763.

Tang Dynasty
"Tang dynasty" in Han characters
Chinese	唐朝
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Táng cháo Gwoyeu Romatzyh Tarng chaur Wade–Giles T‘ang2 ch‘ao2 Wu Romanization Dáõn záu Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Tong4 chiu4 Jyutping Tong4 ciu4 Southern Min Tâi-lô Tông tiâu Middle Chinese Middle Chinese dang djew

Map of China during the Tang Dynasty. In yellow are the territories of China and the area of vassals and allies are in dark yellow.

The Tang Dynasty (Chinese: 唐朝; Pinyin: Táng Cháo) (18 June 618 – 4 June 907) was an imperial dynasty of China that came after the Sui Dynasty and was followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li (李) family, who came to power during the fall of the Sui Empire. The dynasty was interrupted for a short time by the Zhou Dynasty (周) (16 October 690 – 3 March 705) founded by Empress Wu Zetian who managed to claim the throne, becoming the first and only Chinese Empress.

The Tang Dynasty, with its capital at Chang'an (today Xi'an), the biggest city in the world at the time, is considered by historians as a high point in Chinese civilization—maybe even greater than the earlier Han Dynasty—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 methods were sometimes vicious, but she was very intelligent and talented.

In 907 the Tang dynasty was ended when Zhu Wen deposed Emperor Ai of Tang and took the throne for himself (known posthumously as Emperor Taizu of Later Liang). He established the Later Liang, which inaugurated the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. A year later Zhu had the deposed Emperor Ai poisoned to death.

Images for kids

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  Portrait painting of Emperor Yang of Sui, commissioned in 643 by Taizong, painted by Yan Liben (600–673)

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  The Fengxian cave (circa 675 AD) of the Longmen Grottoes, commissioned by Wu Zetian.

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  Empress Wu (Wu Zetian), the sole officially recognized empress regnant of China in more than two millennia.

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  Map of the six major protectorates during Tang dynasty.

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  Map of An Lushan Rebellion

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  Xumi Pagoda, built in 636

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  A late Tang mural commemorating the victory of General Zhang Yichao over the Tibetans in 848 AD, from Mogao cave 156

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  Emperor Xuanzong of Tang wearing the robes and hat of a scholar

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  Civil service exam candidates gather around the wall where results had been posted. Artwork by Qiu Ying.

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  Emperor Taizong (r. 626–649) receives Gar Tongtsen Yülsung, ambassador of the Tibetan Empire, at his court; later copy of an original painted in 641 by Yan Liben (600–673)

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  Pottery tomb figure of a warrior from Duan's Tomb, Shaanxi.

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  A 10th-century mural painting in the Mogao Caves at Dunhuang showing monastic architecture from Mount Wutai, Tang dynasty; Japanese architecture of this period was influenced by Tang Chinese architecture

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  Kizil Caves

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  Tomb guardian (wushi yong), early 8th century

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  Illustration of Byzantine embassy to Tang Taizong 643 CE

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  Sancai glazed horse tomb figure

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  A mural depicting a corner tower, most likely one of Chang'an, from the tomb of Prince Yide (d. 701) at the Qianling Mausoleum, dated 706

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  Map of Chang'an in Tang Dynasty

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  The bronze Jingyun Bell cast 711, height 247 cm high, weight 6,500 kg, now in the Xi'an Bell Tower

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  A Tang dynasty era copy of the preface to the Lantingji Xu poems composed at the Orchid Pavilion Gathering, originally attributed to Wang Xizhi (303–361 AD) of the Jin dynasty

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  Calligraphy of Emperor Taizong on a Tang stele

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  A Tang dynasty sculpture of a Bodhisattva

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  A timber hall built in 857, located at the Buddhist Foguang Temple of Mount Wutai, Shanxi

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  A Tang sancai-glazed carved relief showing horseback riders playing polo

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  Palace ladies in a garden from a mural of Prince Li Xian's tomb in the Qianling Mausoleum, where Wu Zetian was also buried in 706

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  Tang era gilt-gold bowl with lotus and animal motifs

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  Tomb figure of a lady attendant, 7th- to 8th-century; during the Tang era, female hosts prepared feasts, tea parties, and played drinking games with their guests.

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  A rounded "offering plate" with design in "three colors" (sancai) glaze, 8th-century

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  A page of Lu Yu's The Classic of Tea

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  A square bronze mirror with a phoenix motif of gold and silver inlaid with lacquer, 8th-century

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  The Diamond Sutra, printed in 868, is the world's first widely printed book to include a specific date of printing.

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  The Dunhuang map, a star map showing the North Polar region. c. 700. The whole set of star maps contains over 1,300 stars.

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  Emperor Xuanzong of Tang giving audience to Zhang Guo, by Ren Renfa (1254–1327)

See also

In Spanish: Dinastía Tang para niños