Tang Dynasty

Category
Chinese
Begin
618
End
907
Region
East Asia
Reference
Excerpts from Books and Wikipedia
"Historians generally regard the Tang as a high point in Chinese civilization, and a golden age of cosmopolitan culture. . . . The Tang capital at Chang'an (present-day Xi'an) was the most populous city in the world in its day. . . . Besides political hegemony, the Tang also exerted a powerful cultural influence over neighboring East Asian states such as those in Japan and Korea. The Tang dynasty was largely a period of progress and stability in the first half of the dynasty's rule, until the devastating An Lushan Rebellion (755–763) and the decline of central authority in the latter half of the dynasty. . . . Buddhism became a major influence in Chinese culture . . . However, in the 840s the Emperor Wuzong of Tang enacted policies to persecute Buddhism, which subsequently declined in influence. [Wikipedia] "The Tang capital at Chang'an became a great international metropolis, a focal point of the Eurasian world. Between 600 and 900 no Western capital could compete in size and grandeur . . . . Under the Emperor Xuanzong (who reigned from 713 to 755) the Tang reached its height of prosperity and grandeur . . . They were defeated by Arab forces in 751 near Samarkand." [Fairbank: China, p. 78-82]

This period is linked to the following events

Event Name
Category
Date
Chinese monk Xuanzang begins travels to India to gather Buddhist texts
Religion
629
Islam first arrives in China
Religion
650
Arabs make Islam the dominant religion of central Asia after the Battle of Talas
War
751
Formula for gunpowder (saltpeter, sulphur, and charcoal) discovered in China
War
800
Banknotes invented by Chinese in Tang Dynasty
Invention
806
Chinese in Tang Dynasty invent woodblock printing
Invention
868

This period is linked to the following movies

Movie title
Genre
Released
House of Flying Daggers (Chinese)
Historical
2004
Xuanzang (Chinese)
Historical
2016