The Golden Ages of China

The Golden Ages in China

Over the troubled seas and oceans, the golden sun rises through the giant mountains breaking the black clouds in the sky and awakens one of the most ancient and beautiful continents in the world, China. Mysterious and endless history follows time and passes through the minds of people as they remember their history as if it is awaiting them outside of their homes. And the memory of the Great Wall of China shows up in their minds, of protecting its people from the bloody weapons of their enemies. The memories of Golden Ages of China, the most beautiful and finest times in the past brings pride to the nation.

The Golden Ages of China were founded in Tang Dynasty in 618 A.D and it was the most brilliant historic period in China's history. In this glorious period, the economy, politics, culture and military strength reached a uniquely advanced level. But before and after the Tang Dynasty wars and conflicts were on the rise many times.

Perhaps no other empire in history has risen as fantastically as the Mongols. In less than 80 years, a crew of several warriors grew to an empire that extended from the Pacific Ocean to the Danube River.

China was invaded and taken over by the Mongols in 1276 AD but they had already been ruling a large empire for about fifty years. Their empire stretched from India and Russia to northern China and Korea. By 1279 the Mongols controlled all of China. Kublai Khan, the Mongol leader, moved the capital of the Mongol empire from Central Asia to China. In 1271, when he was 56, Kublai Khan declared himself emperor of China.

Kublai Khan tried to overpower Japan in 1274 and 1281 AD, but was stopped by a great storm. He also tried to recapture northern Vietnam (Annam) and Burma, but failed. Even in China, Kublai Khan's rule was not very successful. The Chinese were very angry that Kublai Khan gave foreigners like the Venetian Marco Polo all the jobs as governors and judges, instead of choosing Chinese people. But Kublai Khan did not trust the Chinese. And the Chinese were also mad that the Mongols kept their own language and customs, and didn't want to act like the Chinese.

Kublai Khan died in 1294 AD. By the 1330's, people all over the whole Mongol Empire were suffering from Black Death - the Bubonic Plague. Millions of people died in China. The epidemic made it hard to keep the empire together.

          During the late Tang period, the economy was suffering. The emperor Wu-tsung, tried to eliminate Buddhism from 843 to 845 C.E. by closing thousands of temples in order to take control of their wealth. The weakening of Buddhism and conflicts between the Chinese and foreign traders showed the beginning of a change in Chinese opinion. After hundreds of years of culture exchange, by 836 C.E. no foreigners would be welcome in China.

The Tang Dynasty was the golden age of art and literature for China, however, poetry and art were deeply affected by the rebellion of northeastern troops against court officials in the capital city of Ch'ang-an in 756 C.E. Named after the leader of rebellion troops, the An Lu-shang Rebellion caused the deaths of countless people, including members of the royal family, and marked the beginning of the end for the Tang Dynasty.

The decline of the dynasty increased during the second half of the 9^th century as groups within the central government began fighting. These fights led to political plots and scandals, with assassination not uncommon. The dynasty split into ten separate kingdoms as the central government weakened. After a series of collapses beginning around 880 C.E., northern invasions finally destroyed the Tang dynasty. The Golden Age was over.

                                                        

                                                                     
                                                                                   
 Peasant Uprising
                The governmental system of the Tang was founded on  a system of equal land grant. People paid an annual tax to the government in the form of grain or cash. However, problems arose when the government realized that the great population growth had resulted in greatly reduced plots of land, but the same tax. Peasants fled their fields, thus slowing the economy down. The military could no longer protect its frontiers.
               In the late period of the Tang power, rulers were more selfish and dishonest, annexing land without limits and collecting taxes even when natural disasters took place. Additionally, the endless fights caused the death of a large number of farmers.

As in previous periods, once the peasant was put into the desperate situation, the dynasty was near its end. In 875 AD, a farmers' uprising, led by Wang Xianzhi and Huang Chao, started in Henan and Shandong. After several years, Wang Xianzhi died on the battleground and Huang Chao succeeded. He led his troops within a large area, about half China's territory. Later on, the rebel army entered Chang'an City to found their own regime - Da Qi. Emperor Xizong (873-888) escaped to Chengdu.

However, the rebel army failed to beat the Tang army. Emperor Xizong gathered the remaining Tang troops and by combining them with Fanzhen army, fought against the rebels, forcing them to withdraw from Chang'an. In 884 AD, Huang Chao committed suicide after being defeated.

Although its main leaders had been sacrificed, the rebellion lasted for about ten years, sweeping through a dozen provinces with more than one million soldiers involved. The rebellion effectively weakened the landlord class and the Tang power base, further hurrying the falling apart of the Tang Empire.

End of Tang Empire

During the process of stopping the peasant uprising, Zhu Quanzhong (852-912), originally named Zhu Wen, contributed much. Zhu Wen had been a general serving under Huang Chao, but at a critical moment, he surrendered to the Tang army. As a reward for his actions, Emperor Xizong gave Zhu Wen an honorable name 'Quanzhong', which means 'absolute loyalty' and ordered him to quell the rebellion without delay.

Assisted by Li Keyong, Zhu Wen quickly suppressed the Huang Chao rebels. By his great contribution in defeating the rebels, Li Keyong also gained the favor of the emperor. This caused Zhu Wen to become envious of his former comrade and he decided to do away with him but failed. From then on, hatred grew between the two men. They each contested land holdings and frequent conflict between Zhu and Li brought more disasters to people.