Who will be the New Ruler?

Should Li Shimin be Crowned Ruler?

 Written By: MD Time traveler

After Emperor Li Yuan retired, his son Li Shimin is next in line for the throne, but should he be the new king? Recent sources say, "Li Shimin killed his two brothers to gain the position of emperor"(Zhou).  This is a very cruel and selfish thing to do. Do we really want a ruler that killed two of his siblings just to be the new emperor? He basically went against the law and committed murder. A strong empire like ours should not have a leader that we have to question whether he is a good or cruel person. An emperor should be trustful and reliable without having to kill anybody to gain power. This power should only be granted to them if they earned it and if people believe he can fulfill the role of being a strong, helpful leader. Li Shimin is just a weak and selfish want to be emperor.

Another story that is spreading is, " He promoted Buddhism in the Tang Empire... also promoted Nestorian Christianity" (Zhou). Li Shimin encourages two different religions. Usually the tradition is to only follow one religion. This man cannot make up his mind if he likes both religions that are completely different from each other. Our new leader should make good decisions quickly, especially if it involves life or death situations like having a war or conquering another empire. It seems like Li Shimin would not care what other people believe in. What will happen if there is a dispute between beliefs? Then what side is he on, the Buddhism or Nestorian Christianity religion. A good leader should follow one law, one religion, and one system of government. Li Shimin should not be the Tang Dynasty's new emperor because he is very selfish, not trusted, and cannot make up his mind.  



Religion and Ideologies

Buddhism during the Tang Dynasty

        During the Tang Dynasty's time, the major religion people followed was Buddhism. Buddhism was mainly about the afterlife, the future effects of good and bad deeds, and the promise of release from suffering. Afterlife was a way of thinking about what happens to a person or an other living thing after they pass away. "No living thing retains its soul permanently... they become a different being" (Chen). After death a person or animal is still alive through their soul and then becomes another living thing. Another belief in Buddhism is karma. Karma is another way of saying the acts or deeds a person has done. Karma is believed to affect a persons health, intelligence, and many other traits. Good karma is only achieved if a person is kind and has had a good life. This leads to having a better afterlife, "a higher being, such as a human, or even a god" (Chen). Bad karma is from being a mean person and having a bad life. This can lead to a "lower class" of beings such as an animal and ghosts. The main goal for a Buddhist to achieve is called nirvana. Nirvana is the state of being without greed, ignorance, hate and suffering. Anyone can attempt to achieve this goal, but it is considered only realistic for monks and saints. Buddhism was at its highest peak during the Tang Dynasty.

        Buddhism caused a remarkable amount of wealth for the Monasteries in the Tang Dynasty. People were donating land, grain, and precious metals to the empire. The Monasteries were even exempt from paying taxes and soon became tax shelters for landowners. Empress Wu encouraged the growth of Buddhism to weaken her opponents, the aristocracy who favored Taoism. This made Buddhism grow and spread through out the empire during this time period. Buddhism was also the "religion of salvation" because it first started after the Han Dynasty fell during a time of chaos. It was a religion people looked at for solutions to all their problems. "Buddhism encouraged rulers to be kind and understanding to others, and to do good deeds"(Chen). Buddhism made the Tang Dynasty a kind and happy place to be.




 http://acupunctureforall.blogspot.com/2012/04/theory-of-karma.html

Front Page

War Has Begun!

Written by: MD Time traveler

          I have just been time traveling to the ancient Tang Dynasty. This dynasty was in power of China for 288 years, from 618AD - 906AD. I heard from a near by citizen that "a war has begun!" Emperor Hsuan Tsung has recently fallen in love with a woman. This has made him neglect his duties! Without him paying attention, this women has now put some of her family and friends as government officials. These people have not had any experience to be fit for the job and are just basic people found off the streets.Many citizens are causing even more ruckus. A man by the name of An Li-shan, had a dispute with the woman's brother and has caused even more violence in the empire.

          This war is becoming bigger and bigger, but has finally stopped eight years later. This conclusion was made with the help from an alliance made with the Central Asian tribes including the Tibet's. The rebellion caused the central government to never be the same ever again. Control was lost with the generals along the empire's borders. The generals decided to kept the tax money for themselves and eventually turned all the lands they had to protect into their own kingdoms. This war was long and harsh but eventually came to a final end. 

Picture Collage

<http://gingerpost.com/?p=1894>.

                                               <http://chinamotorhome.com/tour/summer_45_days>.
                    

 <http://www.cultural-china.com/chinaWH/html/en/Scenery75bye310.html>.





                                           

<https://sites.google.com/a/fwparker.org/nschilling/ancient-chinese-sports-games>.

<http://www.chinesetimeschool.com/en-us
/articles/the-four-great-inventions-of-ancient-china/4/>.

                                                     

( From left to right)

Wang Wei~  Was a famous Chinese poet, musician, painter, and calligrapher. Most of his works were based off a Taoist ideas and Buddhist perspectives. His art work seemed like poetry and his poetry seemed like art work. Wang's talent and beauty in all of his works later influenced what became known today, as the Southern school of Chinese landscape art.


The Big Wild Goose Pagoda~ Is a Tang dynasty landmark and is one of the most famous Buddhist pagodas in China. It is located in the Da Ci'en Temple, southern suburb of Xia. In ancient China, as a tradition in the Tang dynasty, any person who passed the imperial examinations would have to climb up the Pagoda to the top and write poems and inscriptions. This act was a symbol of their soaring career for the future.

Vairocana Buddha Statue~ Is located in the Fengxian Tample. It is said that the face of the Buddha is sculpted after the face of Empress Wu Zetian (625- 705AD). This statue helps the followers of Buddhism worship the Buddha and the Empress. The statue also reflects the political, economic, and cultural ways of life in ancient China. Vairocana Buddha reflects the different jobs and lifestyles people had including architecture, calligraphy, music, fabric making, the fields of arts and medicine.  


Block Printing~ This invention first appeared during the Tang dynasty. In order to start printing the text was first written on pieces of thin paper. Then it was glued, faced down, onto a wooden plate. This text was then carved out to make a wooden block printing plate, this made it possible to print the text onto paper. The block printing technique allowed books to be made for education and for authors to share their stories.

Ma Qiu (Polo) Game~ This game was the most popular and most played game during ancient China. This game was used as combat training for the Chinese military to make them stronger. Ma Wiu is played on horseback. The object of the game is to attempt to hit the ball into the goal using a stick while still staying on the horse.

Geography Map

Geography of the Tang Dynasty

From AD - 907AD

 <http://factsanddetails.com/china.php?itemid=38>.

The Tang dynasty's capital was Chang'an, which had the largest population of people. This area is located mostly at what is known today as China proper. Within China proper there are many rivers including the Yangzi and Yellow rivers. These rivers provided fertile soil for farming and a huge water source for the people living there. Some of what we know today as outer China, is where the Tang dynasty also ruled. Here there are many mountains surrounding the area acting as a protective border for the empire. The Tang empire had natural geography that helped its people survive and not get conquered as easily.