Tang Dynasty
China's Tang dynasty (618–907 CE), which was founded by Liu Yuan (also known by his temple name Gaozu, reigned 618–626), marked one of the most glorious periods in the history of China. After the short-lived Sui dynasty (581–618 CE), the Tang ruled China for nearly three centuries, governing one of the most successful empires of the time in the world. Its government institutions, legal establishments, economic developments, cultural achievements, and territorial expansions all exerted significant impact on later Chinese dynasties and defined the identity of Chinese civilization.
Political Changes
Li Yuan, who inherited the title of the dynastic duke of Tang during the Sui dynasty, was a member of a northern aristocratic family who had intermarried with the ethnic minority Xianbei tribal aristocracy. When the Sui collapsed in 617, he seized the Sui capital Chang'an, and ascended the throne in 618, thus founding the Tang dynasty.
During Gaozu's reign, the Tang undertook the enterprises of expanding and consolidating the empire and establishing various institutions. The Gauzu's armies defeated several major rivals and completed the pacification of the country in 624. Gaozu basically continued the administrative institutions of the previous Sui dynasty. In the central government, three agencies reporting to the emperor (the Secretariat, the Chancellery, and the Department of State Affairs, which were collectively known as the Three Departments) served as the administrative core.
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