Knowra Tang dynasty Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty ruled China from 618 to 907, establishing a powerful empire known for cosmopolitan cities, literary achievement, and expanding trade across Asia.
Sui dynasty : A Chinese dynasty that reunified the country in 589 and ruled until its collapse in 618. Sui political breakdown created the opening for Tang founder Li Yuan to seize power.
Tang dynasty civil service : The bureaucratic system through which Tang emperors staffed central and provincial government. Its officials administered the empire, though aristocratic privilege continued to shape appointments.
Silk Road : A network of overland trade routes linking China with Central Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Tang-era security and diplomacy helped sustain exchanges along its eastern routes.
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms : A period of political fragmentation in China between the Tang and Song dynasties, from 907 to 979. The Tang collapse opened this era of competing northern dynasties and southern kingdoms.
Emperor Gaozu of Tang : Li Yuan, the founding emperor of the Tang dynasty, who ruled from 618 to 626. His rebellion against the Sui established the dynasty and its ruling house.
Imperial examination : A system of examinations used in imperial China to select candidates for government office. Tang rulers used examinations to recruit officials and cultivate loyalty beyond hereditary elites.
Maritime Silk Road : A network of sea routes linking China with Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Tang ports connected imperial commerce to growing Indian Ocean trade.
Song dynasty : A Chinese dynasty that ruled from 960 to 1279 and developed a strong civil bureaucracy. Song rulers inherited Tang institutions while curbing the power of regional military governors.
Emperor Taizong of Tang : The second Tang emperor, who ruled from 626 to 649 and strengthened imperial government. His reign consolidated Tang power and became a model of effective rulership.
Tang legal code : The Tang dynasty's codified body of criminal and administrative law, compiled and revised under imperial authority. Its statutes gave provincial officials a shared framework for governing the empire.
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