Tag Archives: Tang

Rutian Wang

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Plaque: Rutian Wang

Plaque Info
Time Period Tang Dynasty
Geographical Region In the capital of Tang Dynasty, Changan
List of Symbols
  1. a man and a woman dressed in Tang clothes
  2. a horse
  3. a poem written in Tang
  4. typical buildings in Tang in the background

I set the time of this plaque at the time of Tang Dynasty, roughly during the time of high Tang, between the reign of Li Shimin, Tang Taizong, and Li Longji, Tang Xuanzong. Tang Dynasty is probably the most flourished time in Chinese history. From my perspective, Tang is famous for its Turkic ancestry, its exuberant culture, and its openness. The founder of Tang Dynasty has Turkic ancestors, so many aspects in Tang, like its clothing, has Turkic characters. For Tang’s exuberant culture, thousands of beautiful poems were written in Tang. For its openness, the capital Chang’an was like an international city, people from different places all came and gathered here. Those things are some characters of Tang I reckoned as important. Therefore, in my plaque, I tried to use pictures to convey the ideas I talked above.

The man and the woman in the front represented typical people in Tang time. The woman dressed in a loose dress, which completely hide her waist. However, we could still see her rounded figure under the dress. Unlike in other dynasties like Song or Qing, or even now, Tang is a time when full figure was seen as a sign of beauty. This is probably because of Tang Xuanzong’s Precious Consort, Yang Yuhuan. She is famous for her curvy body. Since she is much appreciated and loved by the Emperor, her rounded figure was also what women at that time aspired to. Another detail is the part of her breasts. The neckline of the dress is rather low, compared to the dresses for women in other dynasties. This is a suggestion of the openness of Tang, and also a suggestion that the freeness women enjoy at that time is more than probably any dynasties in Chinese history. In Tang Dynasty, women had many head accessories to wear. In Bai Juyi’s poem Pipa Xing, and Changhen Ge, he described the accessories women wore at that time, which were very much like the accessories the woman in the plaque is wearing. For example, Bai Juyi mentioned “bu yao” and “sao tou”. These are the kind of head accessory women wore in Tang in order to stable their bun. The thing that is on the right side of the woman’s hair is a roughly pictured “bu yao”. The man is also wearing typical Tang clothes. The hat he is wearing is especially typical in Tang, since no other dynasties had the similar kind of hats for men. The male clothes in Tang have strong characters of Turkic origins, since the founder of Tang has Turkic ancestors.

The picture behind the two people shows a horse. This picture is trying to convey a sense of wall painting in the time of Tang and to show the Turkic origin of Tang. The founder of Tang Dynasty, Li Yuan, like the Sui emperors, belonged to the north Chinese aristocracy and was of mixed Chinese and Turkic ancestry. Therefore, Tang Dynasty had more Turkic characters than other dynasties had. Because of their Turkic ancestry, they were more used to horse riding. This is also why here is a horse. The horse is used to show the popular of horse riding in Tang. In fact, not only men, women in Tang Dynasty also rode out together with male members for hunting constantly.

In the background, there is a poem, called “Jing Ye Si”. This poem was written by Li Bai, a renowned Tang poet. Poetry was very popular during the Tang Dynasty, and it was even used in the national examinations at that time. There were many different poem structures in Tang. However, all those different structures of Tang poetry, unlike “ci” in Song, were all very much in order. Each sentence is always required to have certain amount of characters. I chose this poem because this poem fits into the structure perfectly and can give people a rough sense of what a Tang poem looks like. The structure of this poem in the background is called “wu jue”. “wu” means five, because it has five characters in each sentence.

The building in the background shows a typical building of the Tang time. The building technology in Tang developed greatly due to the flourished economic development it enjoyed. In addition, because of its openness, buildings in Tang also tended to be grand. The buildings usually had many beautiful decorations on them. The buildings in Tang were also known for their wood structure. This is a special building technique very much different from the building techniques people in west used. People still used it in China even until Qing Dynasty. Even though there were not much buildings in Tang left in China now, I still chose to include a building here in my plaque because the building at that time was very beautiful, and was of significance importance to the buildings in later dynasties, and even to the buildings in Japan.

It is very hard to completely show Tang Dynasty in just one plaque. Tang definitely is something much bigger than what is shown here on this plaque. However, I still hope that this plaque will give people some idea of Tang, and let people know what greatness China once enjoyed in the time of the Tang.

Thumbnail: Rutian Wang

RUTIAN WANG is a junior at University of Rochester. Rutian Wang is from Beijing, China. She is an English major and in her spare times enjoys watching movies and reading books. More by Rutian

James Xie

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Plaque: James Xie

Plaque Info
Time Period Tang Minghuang reign including the
Prosperity of Kai Yuan Period and the Tian
Bao Period (An Lushan Rebellion)
Geographical Region Tang Dynasty stretched from the Tarim Basin
(west) to the Korean Peninsula (east), and
from Mongolia (north) into what is currently
Vietnam (south).
List of Symbols
  1. Giant Wild Goose Pagoda
  2. Li Bai
  3. Yan Zhenqing’s calligraphy —
    “The recovery for the great Tang”
  4. Tang’s women
  5. Tang Sancai
  6. Buddhism
  7. Map

The Tang Dynasty was widely considered to be the height of imperial China economically, territorially, and socially. China covered much more land than ever before this period, reaching Korea, Vietnam and much of Central Asia. Trade flourished by land and sea. Some of China’s finest arts and literature also came out of the Tang. The Tang is also well known for having China’s only female to hold the title of emperor.

1. Giant Wild Goose Pagoda
It’s a typical Tang Buddhist Pagoda with a square base, built with layers of bricks without any cement. It’s also constructed by the bracket style used in traditional Chinese architecture. There are seams between each layer of bricks as well as”prisms” on each side of the pagoda. The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda was built in 652 and rebuilt in 704 during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian while the practice of Chinese Buddhism has reached its height. I drew this on the bottom left of my plaque with at least eight stories to emphasize its height.

2. Li Bai
“I raise my eyes to the moon, looking down and think of home.”
—From Li Bai’s Quiet Night Thought

Li Bai was one of the greatest poets of his lifetime. He was an ingenious and romantic poet with great imagination, who took traditional poetic forms to new heights, certainly a wonder and a celebrity of the Great Tang Empire. Li Bai was also known for his love of wine which he had written many poems about (not to mention he would write better after drinking). His friend, another great poet of our time Du Fu called him one in the group of wine craze scholars in Chang’an (on his poem Eight Immortals of the Wine Cup). Li Bai’s influence would be forever. I drew his face on the middle top of the plaque with one of his most famous lines to his right. From my understanding, Li Bai’s face is one of the most recognizable in Chinese history.

3. Yan Zhenqing’s calligraphy – “The recovery for the great Tang”
Yan Zhenqing was a general and a leading figure among Loyalists of the Tang during the An Lushan Rebellion in the Tian Bao Period. Because of his reputation, his forceful, majestic, and individualistic style assumed the heroic proportions of his own life. One of the requisite techniques of calligraphy is maintaining the brush’s upright position in order to transfer more directly and powerfully the flow of energy from hand to paper. Writing with an “upright brush” creates the impression that it carries an especially strong tone of moral consent. He was considered one of the most innovative and influential calligraphers of his time. I drew it on the left top. Because I’ve only seen the writing in white on a black background, I did just that, using an eraser to draw out the characters so that they would look thick and bold, true to Yan Zhenqing’s style.

4. Tang’s women
Women had been considered fortunate because of the open-mindedness and liberal ideas then. In the past, society was dominated by men, which was well maintained and guaranteed by patriarchal customs such as the guidance of husband over wife. Women did not have much freedom; they had no voice in self expression, no education, and no rights in deciding their future, until here in the Tang dynasty.

The government changed this and gave women the voices they deserved. Women would have the same rights as men and enjoy the privileges of education, choice of marriage, work, and all others excluded to men. They were also given a favorable law regarding land ownership, granting them the freedom to conduct business and do other things that only their male counterparts could do in the previous dynasties. Women would even have the chance to learn politics, economics, history, and military skills, let alone participate in battles.

The behavior of well-educated Tang women is unlike any of that from the women of former dynasties. They could express their joy far more freely than women from earlier dynasties could ever imagine doing so, whether in drinking or even competing with men on the polo field.

Fat women were considered beautiful at the time. It was a sign of self- confidence, openness, health, and prosperity. I drew the typical Tang woman on the bottom right just to show the common appearance of women of that time. Also drew a Tang man to her left just to highlight their equality (as well as showcase what the typical Tang apparel was).

5. Tang Sancai
Tang Sancai was the pottery invention particularly associated with the Tang Dynasty. In Chinese, Tang Sancai means “three glazes” of a lead glaze-based style of decorating earthenware pottery, regardless of the actual number of colors on the item, although the main three colors were brown, green, and a creamy off- white for decoration. The colors are due to three elements: iron giving yellow to brown hues, copper giving green or occasionally brown colors, and the rare cobalt for blue. The colors can occur monochromatically or together. Sancai glazed pottery wares were produced at a limited number of kilns. They had been used in China as well as exported to Egypt and elsewhere through the Silk Road. I drew a Sancai horse on the bottom center as the horse was one of the better known Sancai models (couldn’t emphasize any colors though).

6. Buddhism
Buddhism continued to be popular throughout the Tang Dynasty even after the end of Empress Wu Zetian’s reign. And as yet another example to the openness to women’s influence in the Tang and the Empress’ legacy, the Bodhisattva statue was designed after Wu Zetian’s image. That’s what I drew above the typical Tang man and woman, the statue with a Tang woman’s face.

7. Map
The far reaching Tang Dynasty territory included its capital city of Chang’an, centered in the midst of the empire with over one million inhabitants and was considered the largest city on earth at that time. Drew it in the middle with a small circle marking the capital city. I figured the whereabouts of the Tang is best highlighted in the middle of the plaque as setting is usually one of the most general information to provide.

Thumbnail: James Xie

JAMES XIE is a junior at the University of Rochester. In his spare time he likes to play table tennis, play piano, and draw. More by James

Jacqueline Heinzelmann

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Plaque: Jacqueline Heinzelmann

Plaque Info
Time Period Tang Dynasty: High Tang
Geographical Region Great Wall to Hainan, East China Sea to Dunhuang
List of Symbols
  1. Mulberry Tree & Hatched Silkworms
  2. Silk Roads bringing Foreign Merchants
  3. “Open” Gate of Great Wall of China
  4. Chang’an City Structure
  5. Rice & Irrigation System
  6. Pipa, Horse, Bow & Arrow

Chinese Society flourished during the Tang Dynasty. The Empire was one of the largest of its time, spanning from the Great Wall built in the north during the Qin Dynasty all the way to the ocean in the south, and from coast in the east all the way to the mountains in the west. These geographic landmarks are included in the plaque, so that future viewers know where the Tang Empire is situated.

There are several things that might remind future civilization of the Tang Dynasty, one of which are is the production of silk shown by the mulberry trees, hatched silkworms and a basket of silkworm cocoons in the upper left-hand corner of the plaque. It represents the monopoly of silk production China, or the Tang Empire, experienced at the time. A large number of mulberry trees were grown around the northwestern part of the empire, a certain share of which would belong to various groups of farmers, which was the result of a policy implemented at the beginning of the empire.

Next to the mulberry tree, one can see a foreign merchant travelling along the trade routes to the Empire’s capital in Chang’an. The traveller leading a camel represents the extent to which merchants and their goods would travel on the well-known “Silk Roads”. On the roads coming from the north, two more travellers can be found, one on a horse, the other carrying a pipa. These two travellers also show that the Tang Dynasty engaged in serious trade with its northern neighbors, the Uighur and Mongol tribes. These tribes brought with them horses, bow and arrows, as well as the pipa, all shown beyond the Great Wall to depict that these inventions were foreign, the latter of which had a serious impact on Chinese culture. The open gate through which the northern travellers and merchants pass through is meant to show how open the Chinese were to foreign trade and foreign influence under the Tang rule.

In the center of the plaque, I have drawn in the city structure of Chang’an during the time of the Tang dynasty. It was the first to implement a structure in which various households would like within separate “courts”. The gates to each court would be locked at night, and the outer walls of the city would do the same. This, again, influenced a variety of stories written during this time period. At the same time, the city structure also represents the structured government and census at the time, another thing for which the Tang Empire is known.

To the right and below the capital’s structure, one can see rice seedlings planted in neat rows. Like the mulberry trees, the rice seedlings show the implementation of a new agricultural system, incorporating the newly found techniques for rice planting. Rice quickly became the main staple food in the south, and its abundance caused its spread of popularity throughout the rest of the empire. As the capital did not grow enough of its food in the surrounding areas, the canals from the past dynasty were widely used to ship rice grown in the south to the capital in the relative north, thereby supplying most of the population in the capital with rice as a major food source. Each of the rows of rice seedlings also corresponds to a specific waterway, which is meant to represent the advance of the Chinese Irrigation system of the time. The spread of rice caused a need for a larger supply, which was only achieved by advancing the irrigation system.

Thumbnail: Jacqueline HeinzelmannJACQUELINE HEINZELMANN is a student at the University of Rochester. Jacqueline, who goes by Jackie, studies International Relations and East Asian Studies. When she is not busy writing essays for her various classes, she is probably reading. More by Jackie

Elizabeth Scheuerman

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Plaque: Elizabeth Scheuerman

Plaque Info
Time Period High Tang Period (during the Tang Dynasty)
(c. 8th century CE)
Geographical Region Eastern half of modern-day China,
south of Manchuria
List of Symbols
  1. Emperor
  2. Woman
  3. Coin
  4. Buddha and Monastery
  5. Yin yang
  6. Pottery and horse

My plaque is representative of the High Tang period, often called the Golden Age of Chinese history. During this period, immense wealth and great contributions to culture were built. The Tang period was a very important period in Chinese history, as the changes brought about during it impacted Chinese history for hundreds of years to come.

The man on the plaque signifies the position of emperor during the dynasty. Like in previous dynasties, the emperor was the head of state in the empire. The emperor was an incredibly strong presence in the government during the high Tang period, and the emperors during the high Tang period were able to implement important and vast changes in governance, including a new legal code, a new economic system, and more patronization of religion and the arts. If the emperor were depicted in color, he would be wearing yellow, since that was the imperial color and signified his power as Son of Heaven and controller of the land around the Yellow River.

The woman is representative of women’s place in Tang society. Though the society was very much patriarchal, women played a very important role for several pivotal events. The woman depicted in my design is an example of the Tang ideal of feminine beauty, with a round face, high hair, and flowing garments. Women played an important role for politically affluent families, as they allowed influential families to form alliances and gain advantages through marriage into other important families. Powerful women also played an influential role at court, wielding influence through control of their husbands or sons, or even ruling as a dowager empress. (Later, a woman would even take the empire’s throne and rule as emperor in her own right.)

The coin is representative of the economy of the period. Though bronze coins, like the one depicted, were very important in the economy, they were not the only type of currency. Silk and silver were equally as important in the economy, with silk being almost more valuable. The Tang dynasty also implemented land redistribution in a program called the equal-field system. Families were given specific allotments of land, based on the number of people in the household as well as their situation in life. They were then required to pay taxes and perform government-mandated labor in exchange for the land. For all the economic success of the Tang dynasty, the equal-field system never managed to bring the government a good source of revenue.

The Buddha statue and the pagoda/monastery represent the importance of Buddhism during the Tang period. The government strongly supported Buddhism during this time, and though the empire remained strongly Confucian, Buddhism also played a very important role in society. Influential families sponsored monasteries and monks, encouraging the building of religious sites and the translation and writing of religious documents.

The yin yang symbol represents Daoism. In addition to the state support of Buddhism, Daoism continued to be an important religious presence for citizens of the empire. Daoism along with Buddhism allowed the people to find serenity in life, in addition to reassurance about their personal and their family members’ place in the after-life.

The pottery and horse are representative of the rich culture and artwork of the time. The period is very famous for its development of many styles, including pottery, porcelain, paintings, calligraphy, and more. Since the period was marked by prosperity, people were able to afford patronizing the arts. Ceramic art was especially well developed during this time, and beautiful works of poetry and literature were also written.

These symbols are important because they represent some of the main important qualities and developments of the High Tang period. By understanding them, one is better able to understand the history and culture of the time, and therefore is better able to understand later developments in Chinese history.

Thumbnail: Elizabeth ScheuermanELIZABETH SCHEUERMAN is a History, English, and Art History major at the University of Rochester. She works at UR’s Department of Rare Books & Special Collections, and hopes to pursue a career in Museum Studies. In her free time, Elizabeth enjoys foreign films and reading. More by Elizabeth