Where was the capital of the Tang Dynasty?

The capital of the Tang Dynasty has always been Chang'an (now Xi'an). When Wu Zetian established Wuzhou, the capital was moved to Luoyang. Later, when Li Tang Dynasty was restored, it was moved back to Xi'an.

Chang'an, which means "long-term peace and stability", is known as the four major ancient capitals in the world together with Rome, Cairo and Athens. It is also the ancient capital of China's thirteen dynasties. Its politics, economy, culture, etc. have flourished for more than a thousand years. It is very perfect in all aspects. Among the many dynasties that established their capital in Chang'an, the Zhou, Qin, Han, Sui and Tang dynasties were all powerful eras in Chinese history.

Wu Zetian took Luoyang, the sacred capital, as the center of his rule for nearly 50 years. He basically continued the rule of Zhenguan and laid the foundation for the subsequent prosperous Kaiyuan era. He was called by Guo Moruo as "the government initiated the Kaiyuan and governed the macro Zhenguan". Its influence was far-reaching, affecting North Korea, Japan and other countries at that time.

The Tang Dynasty lasted for twenty-two generations, with a history of 289 years. Together with the Han Dynasty, it is known as one of the two most powerful dynasties in Chinese history. The Tang Dynasty was also one of the dynasties with the longest unified time and the most powerful national power in Chinese history.

It was founded by Li Yuan in 618 and its capital was Chang'an. In 627, Li Shimin established the "Government of Zhenguan" after ascending to the throne. After Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, Wu Zetian moved the capital to Luoyang for a period of 15 years. The Zhou Dynasty replaced the Tang Dynasty, which was called Wuzhou in history. In 705, Emperor Zhongzong restored the title of the Tang Dynasty and returned the capital to Chang'an. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty immediately created the prosperous "Kaiyuan Age", and thus our country began its glorious era.

Extended information

The reason why no dynasty has settled its capital in Chang'an since the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

1. Excessive population pressure and weather problems

To establish a capital for a dynasty, three conditions must generally be met.

First, the regional agricultural/economic level circle can feed hundreds of thousands of people,

Second, excellent soldiers can be recruited,

Third, transportation convenient.

Taking the Western Han Dynasty as an example, the Guanzhong region had developed agriculture, smooth waterways, and low material transportation consumption. Moreover, the best source of troops at that time was the Longyou area.

But by the Tang Dynasty, the agriculture in the Guanzhong area could no longer satisfy the population of nearly one million. To make matters worse, after the Tang Dynasty, the temperature warmed and precipitation decreased in the Guanzhong area. Coupled with water and soil erosion, the land became increasingly barren, no longer fertile, and agricultural output became less and less.

It is not enough to feed a large population. Since the end of the Tang Dynasty, the Guanzhong area has been unable to provide for itself. Food needs to be transported from the Jianghuai area. As early as the period of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, he often stayed in Luoyang to work with officials. , and it can also be seen from the side that there are reasons for alleviating Changan's supply shortage.

In addition, Chang'an has too many people and poor urban sewage discharge. Domestic garbage and excrement seep into the groundwater veins, which seriously pollutes the groundwater source in Chang'an. By the mid-Tang Dynasty, Chang'an's groundwater was already "all salty water" Salty, not very pleasant."

2. Destruction caused by war

Although Chang'an was the imperial capital, it bore the brunt of the damage every time a dynasty fell. The earliest was the Western Zhou Dynasty when it was destroyed by the Quan Rong, and then Xiang Yu The burning of Epang Palace was the most exaggerated in the Tang Dynasty. The emperor fled nine times and the capital was lost six times.

The Anshi Rebellion, the entry of the Tibetan and Dangxiang coalition forces into Beijing, and the Huangchao Rebellion all wreaked havoc and looted the city of Chang'an. When Zhu Wen forced the emperor of the Tang Dynasty to move the capital, he almost completely destroyed the entire city of Chang'an.

If subsequent dynasties wanted to move their capital to Chang'an, they would have to spend a lot of manpower and material resources to rebuild Chang'an. It would be better to build a capital in a more prosperous and convenient place.

3. The economic center moved south

Before the Jin Dynasty, the south was a barbaric land with large areas waiting to be developed and a poor economic environment.

However, after the Eastern Jin Dynasty, China's economic center of gravity began to shift southward. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, wars continued in the north and the south was relatively stable. A large number of people moved southward. Coupled with the prosperity of maritime trade in the Tang Dynasty, maritime trade ushered in Internal and external business development.

On the other hand, after the fall of the Tang Dynasty, without the support of the political center, Chang'an's economy was in decline.

4. Threats from foreign enemies

The dynasties that had their capital in Chang'an before the Tang Dynasty faced border troubles mainly from the northwest, such as the Huns, Turks, Uighurs, etc., and the Tubo troops came to the city. For example, when Li Yuan was in power, he once wanted to move the capital to Hubei to avoid the Turks, but he gave up the idea after being dissuaded by Li Shimin and others. Moreover, Guanzhong is close to many ethnic minority regimes, which is not suitable for security considerations.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Tang Dynasty