Chinese Dynasties | Tang Dynasty

During this period, the state was the most prosperous and powerful in the world. The economic, political, cultural and military strength of the Tang was without peer.

drs2biz / CC BY-ND 2.0

drs2biz / CC BY-ND 2.0

Legend of Tang Poet Statues in Image Above:

LHS (front) Li Bai (701 to 762 CE)... Born in Qin Bian District, Gansu Province, he later moved to Jiang Guan District, Sichuan Province. At age 25, he began to travel around China. He was very ambitious, and was a governor twice. Li Bai experienced the An Shi Rebellion, illustrating the dangers in his country. Around 1,000 poems of his have been preserved in the Li Bai Encyclopaedia.

LHS (2nd) Du Fu (712 to 770 CE)... has been called Poet-Historian and the Poet-Sage by Chinese critics, while the range of his work has allowed him to be introduced to Western readers as "the Chinese Virgil, Horace, Ovid, Shakespeare, Milton, Burns, Wordsworth, Béranger, Hugo or Baudelaire."

LHS (3rd) Bai Ju Yi (772 to 864 CE)... poems are not cheerful, and were themed around his responsibilities as a governor of several small provinces to sympathise with his people. He is renowned in Japan as well, where he is called Hakurakuten.

LHS (4th) Zhang Ji (~766 to 830 CE)... was a notable officer under Wei. At one time, Zhang Ji greatly helped defend Chang An along with Xiahou Yuan. According to the records of history, Zhang Ji later became the protector Yong and then later Liang. Zhang Ji earned quite a bit of merit for his administration.

LHS (5th) Yuan Zhen (779 to 831 CE)... an important Chinese writer in the middle of the Tang Dynasty. He lived in Luoyang and briefly held ministerial rank. He was member of Po Chu-i's literary circle and was a key figure in the ancient literature revival.

LHS (6th) Xue Tao (~768 to 831 CE)... Title "Hong Du". Was born in Chengdu. She was clever and good at calligraphy. Yuan Zhen, a governor, visited her and then sent her to work in government offices. Yuan Zhen became a Ph.D. in the government. He appointed Xue Tao as a government writer. The books she wrote were "Jin Jiang Ji" and "Chen Shi Ji".

LHS (7th) Wang Wei (701 to 761 CE)... Title "Mo Jie". Was born in Shanxi Province, Taiyuan county. He became a governor when he was 21 years old. Later generations call him "Wang Yo Yi". His work focussed on mountains and water. His poetry, drawings and music are very famous. Shu Shi, another poet, thought that his poems evoked scenic pictures.

LHS (8th) Li He (790 to 816 CE)...Title "Chang Ji". He was a small official but, because of his talent and hard work, he became a poet. His poetry was very romantic and imaginative. He died very early at the age of 27.

LHS (9th) Du Mu (803 to 852 CE)... Title "Mu Zhi". Was born in Shanxi Province, Chang'an County. At 26, he became a governor in Jiangxi Province. Later he became a prison governor, but quit his job and became a poet. He was called "Xiao Du" (Little Du), another famous poet, Du Fu, was called "Lao Du" (Old Du). The most famous book he wrote is "Fan Chun Wen Ji".

RHS (front) Liu Zong Yuan (773 to 819 CE)... Title "Zi Hou". Born in Shanxi Province in Shui Ji County. He became a governor at age 21. When he was 26 he became a diplomat. He joined Wang Shu Wen to reform the country, but the reforms failed. He was demoted as a result. He died at age 47 in Liuzhou. The book he wrote is called "Liu He Dong Ji".

RHS (2nd) Han Yu (768 to 824 CE)... Was born in Nanyang, Henan Province, into a literary family. He passed his civil service entrance exam after several attempts. Wrote his famous "Memorial on Bone-relics of the Buddha" which was a critique on the Buddhist influence on his country, prompting his dismissal and exile to Chaozhou by the emperor, who was insulted by this work.

RHS (3rd) Liu Yu Xi (772 to 842 CE)... was born in Luoyang in Henan Province. Liu passed the highest degree of the government exams when he was only 20 years old, and worked with Liu Zongyuan. He was somewhat of a controversial figure in his time, as he wrote many satirical poems which often offended officials, and was variously demoted and exiled as a result.

RHS (4th) Wang Zhi Huan (688 to 742 CE)...was famous during the Kaiyuan Era.
He wrote the famous lines "On the Stork Tower":
The sun beyond the mountains glows;
The Yellow River seawards flows.
You can enjoy a grander sight
By climbing to a greater height.

RHS (5th) Wang Bo (649 to 676 CE)...was known as Chu Tang Si Jie, and wrote in a richly

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