chinesegeography

An-shi Rebellion



Emperor Xuanzong, in his later years, began to lavishly shower favor on his concubine Yang Yuhuan, and conceded a considerable share of his power to Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong, two wicked officials. He himself indulged in sensuous pleasures while subsequently paying listless attention to the running of the state. Thus the Tang ruling class became more and more corrupt, bringing about the disastrous An-Shi Rebellion.



The An-Shi Rebellion refers to the treacherous war unleashed by An Lushan and Shi Siming. While Emperor Xuanzong was on the throne, ten garrisons were set up in important border regions to strengthen defense. The highest official of the garrison was called Jiedushi, entitled to both military command and decision-making in administration and finance, thus playing a crucial role. According to the usual practice of the time, a jiedushi who had accomplished outstanding feats could be transferred to the court to assume the post of Prime Minister.



Li Linfu, while in power, not only tried to force civil officials out of the court, but also took a suspicious attitude towards the Jiedushi in the frontier areas, even framing them. At that time, some of the generals stationed in the border areas were Hu (a term used by the Han to refer to the non-Han nationalities in the northern and northwestern border regions). Li believed that the Hu were insufficiently educated, and should not be elevated to court office. But, in Emperor Xuanzong's presence, he suggested that more Hu should be appointed Jiedushi, and thus Xuanzong followed his counsel and did so.



An Lushan was part Hu. When young, he went into the service of Zhang Gui, Jiedushi of Youzhou (garrisoning the area around present-day Beijing). An was expert at currying favor with his superiors. Even Li Linfu, a man who paid lip-service only but always harbored ulterior motives, offered to put in a good word for An in front of Xuanzong.



The emperor was taken in, believing An capable, and elevated him to the position of jiedushi of Pinglu. Later, the emperor made him concurrently responsible for the garrisons of Fanyang and Hedong, as the Jiedushi of both areas, taking command of180,000 troops, accounting for over one third of all the Tang border forces. But An Lushan, still not satisfied with his power and influence, left no stone unturned to win the emperor's affection and trust, who in turn granted An a dukedom, allowed his concubine Yang Yuhuan to adopt him as a godson, and gave him free access to the inner palace.



An Lushan, after wooing the emperor and Li Linfu to place trust in him, began to secretly expand the army. He elevated Shi Siming, Cai Xide and other valiant officers to key positions, appointing two Han officials Gao Shang and Yan Zhuang as his top advisors, selected 8,000 warriors from soldiers of various ethnic groups in the border regions who had surrendered to him, and formed a crack force. They were storing up grain and fodder and preparing weaponry, anxiously awaiting the death of Emperor Xuanzong in order to stage a rebellion. On the lst day of the 11th month, in 755, An Lushan rose up in Fanyang under the pretext of opposing Yang Guozhong, rallying over 150,000 troops, while professing to have over 200,000. An, together with his rebels, drove south, intending to fight their way into the Central Plains and then Chang'an, to overthrow the Tang Dynasty and to ascend the throne himself During the Tianbao period (742-756), corruption in the court had sharply detracted from the combat effectiveries of its troops. Furthermore, the area was part of An's sphere of influence.



Therefore, after the rebel forces had fought their way over, civil officials and military officers in the 24 counties north of the Yellow River fell into a great panic; some opened the city gate to usher in the rebels, many deserted the city, while others were captured and killed. The rebel forces met hardly any resistance and quickly swept over large stretches of land, bringing disastrous calamity upon the people, and wreaking havoc in the society. An's troops quickly captured Luoyang, an important city in the east, and swarmed towards the east gate to the capital Chang'an, Tongguan Pass. In Luoyang, An Lushan proclaimed himself "Emperor of Great Yan," appointing ministers, dispatching officials, and establishing an oppositional regime.

Li Longji and the Kaiyuan Glory Days-Ending



In the year 712, Emperor Ruizong, despite the objections of his daughter Princess Taiping, abdicated, and passed the throne to Li Longji. History refers to Li Longji as the Tang Dynasty's Emperor Xuanzong (712-756). On the 3rd day of the 7th month, Emperor Xuanzong led his palace guards to kill Princess Taiping's followers m a surprise attack. The princess fled in a panic into the South Hills. Later, she was ordered to kill herself Emperor Ruizong, as father of the new monarch, now retired to the Hall of Happiness, and no longer had a hand in politics. It was only then that supreme power was transferred into the hands ofEmperor Xuanzong. That year, he named his reign, "Kaiyuan."



It had only been through cut-throat struggle that Emperor Xuanzong had succeeded. But he still faced a tough situation after assuming power. Endless power struggles and upheavals had reduced the power of the central authority; earlier rampant corruption in appointing people had led to the swelling of officialdom. Yao Chong, promoted by the emperor himself, became the most prestigious Prime Minister of the time. Many of the measures, advanced by Yao, were adopted by the emperor, to lay the foundation for the Kaiyuan administration. Later, Song Jingji succeeded Yao as Prime Minister. He was also bent on elevating talent and made sure that officials were fit for their positions. Emperor Xuanzong was not only keen on selecting the top people, but on reforming management of officials at various levels and their rectification.



Tang Emperor Xuanzong, during the Kaiyuan reign (713-742), gave priority to economic development, for which a series of steps were taken, bringing about wide-ranging prosperity. During this period, owing to great efforts, both administrative and military, by the sovereign and his subjects, a comparatively clean and honest government took shape,ushering in the golden days of the Kaiyuan.

Empress Wu Zetian



Wu Zetian was the only female monarch in Chinese history. She received a good education when she was a young girl, and grew up to possess remarkable wisdom and courage.



Wu Zetian became a maiden working in Emperor Taizong's study when she was 14. However, she then had a secret affair with the Crown Prince, the emperor's son, who often came to see his father, and had fallen in love with her.



After Emperor Taizong died, all the women in his palace who had not borne him a child had to become nuns. Wu Zetian was one of them. But the Crown Prince, now Emperor Gaozong (r. 650-683), having not forgotten her, brought her back into his palace. In 655 Emperor Gaozong dismissed the empress and married Wu Zetian. As empress, Wu Zetian began to help her husband with the administration, growing ever closer to the very center of the empire's decision-making process.



Emperor Gaozong died in 683, passing the throne to his son, Emperor Zhongzong, but mandating in his will that Empress Wu Zetian should be in charge of all major political and military affairs. Within two months, Wu Zetian deposed Emperor Zhong-zong for his alleged intent to pass the throne to his father-in-law, and crowned her younger son (Emperor Ruizong). Now she became the one pulling the strings, and all her opponents were eliminated.



The last step towards the summit of her pyramid of power was taken in 690. Wu Zetian ordered that her dynasty be called "Zhou," and her reign, "Tianshou" (Assigned by Heaven). She styled herself as the "Holy Empress," a title she ruled China with for 15 years.



The benefits she rendered the empire as a sovereign included some policies supporting farmers, especially tax reductions, tolerance towards criticism so that people offered their counsel without fear of punishment, strict laws against corruption, and an effective recruitment system that ensured those with talent were appointed into the government.



In 705 the prime minister and other senior officials coerced the empress on her deathbed to abdicate the throne in favor of Emperor Zhongzong, changing the name of the empire back to Tang. Wu Zetian died the same year. In her will, Wu Zetian gave up her title as monarch, wishing to be buried with her husband simply as his empress. She pardoned and spared from punishment the families of her husband's ex-wife and concubines, as well as those ofthe court officials she had made enemies with. Emperor Zhongzong resumed the throne. He approved her will and arranged her funeral according to her wishes.



It was a transfer of power in which no bloodshed was involved, with the sovereign plotted against quite willingly giving up her power and title, almost without parallel throughout Chinese history. As the only woman in China to ever scale up to the heights of power but also frankly own up to what she in reality was, while defying a highly male-centered culture, Wu Zetian was given a relatively deserved place in history, both for the duration of the Tang Dynasty as well as long afterwards.

Xuan Zang the Pilgrim



A Buddhist monk in the early Tang Dynasty, Xuan Zang is primarily known for the pilgrimage he made to India, to bring back those Buddhist scriptures that China lacked for the proper study of Buddhism.



Xuan Zang started his journey in the fall of 627, together with two monks and a caravan of merchants. After they made it to Yumen Pass, Gansu, the two companions left him for fear of more perils ahead of them. Xuan Zang was caught trying to cross the border without proper papers. But the governor was so impressed by Xuan Zang's devotion when he discovered what his pilgrimage was all about, that he helped him to pass through.



What was awaiting Xuan Zang was the vast expanse of the Gobi desert beyond Yumen Pass. It was a land forbidden to life, with scorching hot waves by day and the freezing winds blowing at night. Animals were barely to be seen, and still less, any signs of human habitation. Nothing but occasional trails of animal and human bones told of failed attempts to make the crossing, and waming of dangers still to come.



Not wavering, Xuan Zang walked for over half a month and traversed the desert, entering Gaochang (northwest of Turfan, Xinjiang). Leaving Gaochang, Xuan Zang walked for another year and finally arrived in India.



While in India, Xuan Zang spent years studying Buddhism in Nalanda Sangharama of Bihar, before he traveled elsewhere to talk with Buddhist masters. By the time he left India, he was already a celebrated Buddhist scholar.



In early 646, 18 years after he had started his journey, Xuan Zang returned to Chang'an with over 650 volumes of Buddhist scriptures he had selected. Monks and laymen alike all took to the streets to welcome his arrival. When Emperor Taizong learnt of his story in Luoyang, he sent his Prime Minister to bring him, so he could tell of what he had been through.



The emperor was interested in the mission that Xuan Zang had devoted himself to. He made arrangements for Xuan Zang to start to translate the scriptures he had brought back in a temple near Chang'an. Xuan Zang and his colleagues worked for 19 years and translated the Buddhist scriptures, 13 million characters long, into Chinese.



In 664 Xuan Zang died in the temple where he had worked. Besides the Buddhist scriptures that have survived in Chinese due to his commitment and devoted work, Xuan Zang coauthored Nations to the West of the Tang Dynasty. In this traveler's journal Xuan Zang told of the over one hundred states he had visited in the so-called Western Territory, and about the peoples and their lives. The book has been translated into many languages.

Wei Zheng, a Free-spoken and Brave Official, Remonstrating with the Emperor



Becoming a statesman during the early Tang Dynasty, Wei Zheng was born into a poor family in AD 580 in Qucheng, Weizhou (today's Daming County, Hebei Province). As a boy, he studied hard, and had a lofty aspiration. When he became an advisor to Li Jiancheng, he repeatedly reminded him that he had to eliminate Li Shimin.



After the coup at Xuanwu Gate, Li Shimin sent for Wei Zheng and asked him with a set face, "Why did you stir trouble between us brothers? "



"What a pity the Crown Prince had not listened to me. He need not have died," responded Wei Zheng, without losing his composure.



Despite his colleagues' anxieties, Emperor Taizong pardoned Wei Zheng for his honesty and talent and made him his advisor whose duty was to remonstrate with the emperor.



Wei Zheng possessed character and integrity. There are many stories about him being candid with the Emperor, while other officials had misgivings over telling him the truth.



Emperor Taizong once complained about his food. Wei Zheng told him: "Emperor Yang Di of Sui did not like his food either, and he complained a lot, until it became a reason his people did not like him. There is danger in caring too much about what you eat and Your Majesty is well advised to heed the waming. Content yourself with what you have, then you will find the food to be all very good; whereas, if you should be so disposed as to never feel satisfied by anything, then you will not enjoy any delicacy served onto your table."



"I would not possibly listen to such an admonition except from you," said the Emperor gratefully.



The Tang Dynasty reached a golden age during the reign of Emperor Taizong. While everybody else was busy lauding and glorifying the emperor, Wei Zheng submitted a memorial reminding him of the ten virtues he must be mindful of and practice amidst general plenty, which might otherwise foster pride and indolence. Emperor Taizong made a copy of this memorial and put it on a screen so that he could read it every time he looked up. "You let me know where I might fall short," he told Wei Zheng, "I shall work on all the flaws, otherwise I would be embarrassed to see you again."



Wei Zheng died in 643. Mourning over his loss, Emperor Taizong wrote the tombstone script for him. He recalled Wei Zheng as a friend who would always criticize him for any wrongdoing: "Polished bronze can be a mirror, it tells you if you have not dressed well; history can be a mirror, it tells you what is behind the rise and fall of dynasties; a man can be a mirror, a mirror of your soul, he tells you where you have gone wrong. Now that Wei Zheng is dead, I have lost my mirror."

Coup at Xuanwu Gate



In 618 Li Yuan proclaimed himself Emperor Gaozu of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). In 626, his second son Li Shimin killed Crown Prince Li Jiancheng and his younger brother Li Yuanji in a coup at Xuanwu, the north gate of the imperial palace. The coup ended in a forced transfer of sovereignty from Li Yuan to his son Li Shimin.



Li Yuan had four sons. Three of them survived into the Tang Dynasty. After Li Yuan ascended the throne, he named his oldest son Li Jiancheng as his heir, although his second son Li Shimin had proven to be wiser and more capable as a leader.



Since Li Shimin possessed wisdom and bravery, people gathered around him. This made Li Jiancheng jealous and insecure. Together with his youngest brother Li Yuanji, he spread damaging rumors about Li Shimin to their father, trying to malign him. Li Yuan believed what his sons said and Li Shimin fell out of his favor.



In 626, emergency border situations gave Li Ji'ancheng and Li Yuanji the excuse to propose that forces under Li Shimin's command be moved out of the capital city. On hearing this, Li Shimin decided to take pre-emptive action. He set up an elite squad for an ambush inside Xuanwu Gate. While passing through the gate on their way to the royal palace, Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji suspected that something was anuss. Then Li Shiman suddenly appeared on a horse. Li Jiancheng tried to kill his brother with an arrow. But he was too frightened to pull open his bow. It was too late to escape either. Li Shimin shot Li Jiancheng with an arrow, while his warrior Yuchi Gong killed Li Yuanji. Li Shimin sent Yuchi Gong, spear in hand, into the palace, informing his father that Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji had been plotting treason and had been killed. Emperor Gaozu was shocked when he learnt about the killing between his sons. His Prime Minister Xiao Deng told him he had to face the truth: "Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji had not really deserved what you bestowed on them. They were the ones who had kindled and nurtured hatred between your sons. Everything shall be fine if you pass sovereignty on to Prince Li Shimin."



The old emperor knew there was little else for him to do. He confirmed the offenses Li Shimin had charged his brothers with, and appointed Li Shimin, now his only surviving son, in command of all royal forces. Two months later, Li Yuan abdicated. Li Shimin was crowned as Emperor Taizong (r. 627-650). The period of his reign was known as Zhenguan.



* Scramble for the Throne



When the first emperor of the Tang Dynasty Li Yuan took the throne he conferred the Crown Prince on his first son Li Jiancheng. However, Li Jiancheng hadn't led army in any battles for the dynasty's establishment, whereas Li Shimin, the second son of Li Yuan, had fought battles himself and made many battle achievements. Therefore the conflict between them was inevitable. In the ninth year of the Yuande period (626) the battle between the brothers finally happened, that is the Coup at Xuanwu Gate.