Tang Dynasties in China (Early

¶ … Tang dynasties in china (Early medieval period)

Tang Dynasty in China: Great modernization during this medieval period

One of the most striking aspects of the Tang Dynasty in China is the intense cultural ferment that occurred during this period and the seismic political, social, and religious changes of the time. The Tang are generally considered to have dominated China from 618-907 a.D. (Tang Dynasty, 2009, Dynasties of Classical Imperial China). It was at this time that Confucianism exerted its greatest influence; China began to trade more with the West, expanded its empire, made its government more effective and more efficient; also the Chinese government was willing to incorporate new ideas such as Buddhism into its worldview. Economic prosperity was briefly enjoyed by the peasantry, as well as by aristocrats. This openness and demonstration of cultural and military strength shows how having an open society can be beneficial for China, and is a kind of parallel to the cautious openness combined with economic growth characteristic of China today.

The Tang leaders, through the use of the Eurasian Silk Road and maritime trade gained access to abundant new goods and foreign technology (Tang Dynasty, 2009, Wikipedia). Communication was also facilitated by the canals built by the previous dynast, the Sui, which improved communication and surveillance of the more remote parts of the empire. "Also, the granaries the Sui built alongside the canals helped the Tang to transport goods from the south to the north" (Tang Dynasty, 2009, Dynasties of Classical Imperial China). For the first time, wide swathes of the Chinese population could be nutritionally secure.

Free trade permitted the silk, lacquer and porcelain from the Islamic world to penetrate China's borders. These were to later to become such an influence upon China's art that such materials are now associated uniquely with China. China acquired new art forms and technologies, yet improved upon these items and made it uniquely expressive of the Chinese spirit, showing its health and confidence as a society. Court poetry and theater grew in importance. The state also created a national postal service, through the use of networks of horses and boats (Tang Dynasty, 2009, Wikipedia).

The government was stable at this period and expanded its administrative and legal capabilities. Confucianism and its strict notions of propriety and hierarchy were enshrined into law, marking the entrenchment the Chinese civil service system, whereby merit proved by examination rather than birthright allowed one to gain high court office. The government was also, for the first time, able to keep a census. This gave them an incentive to enact a more fair land distribution and taxation program, "an important part of both their agricultural reform and their economic growth. The Tang implemented a program where they gave life plots to the peasant families. This was supposed to be an equal distribution of the land. The Tang wanted to ensure that the families had enough land to both support themselves and to pay taxes. Taxes were based therefore, not on how much land one had, but on the number of people in the family" (Tang Dynasty, 2009, Dynasties of Classical Imperial China).

Compassion paid in taxes and in increased rice production, because peasants were more willing to work hard on the land they owned. Peasants and aristocrats also fought side-by-side in the Tang's expansionist and efficient army. The Tang Empire eventually encompassed almost all of central Asia including Iran, Manchuria and almost the whole Korean peninsula. However, after the dissolution of the Tang dynasty, this equitable tax system ended (Tang Dynasty, 2009, Dynasties of Classical Imperial China).