The Rise of the Tang Dynasty

We've already done several episodes relating to events and personalities from the Tang Dynasty. Retroactively, then, let's set the stage for how the Tang came into being.

The Tang era can boast many achievements. Chinese poetry reached its zenith during this period, never to be surpassed or even equalled subsequently. The Tang Empire was one of the most expansive versions of "China" ever to exist on the face of the earth. The first half of the dynasty at least is often hailed as China's golden age. And the famous Emperor Taizong, whose portrait serves as this podcast's cover art, commanded the obedience and respect of nations from the Korean Peninsula to the Middle East.

And yet, the way it began was not necessarily auspicious. Overthrowing the short-lived Sui Dynasty, the Li family that ruled the Tang were actually cousins of the Yang family of the Sui. And as much as Emperor Yangdi of the Sui was guilty of fratricide, Emperor Taizong of the Tang was as though a man in a glass house throwing stones...

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