What books are recommended to understand the history and social features of the Tang Dynasty?

Recommend "History of the Sui and Tang Dynasties", Mr. Cen Zhongmian is a master in the field of Tang history, and is as famous as Mr. Chen Yinke in Sun Yat-sen University. This book is more recently divided into thematic sections, and the system is complete and the context is clear, but it is not as good as the previous two works. However, the author's philological skills have reached a state of supernatural perfection, and this book is valuable in many subtleties that can be written about things that cannot be discussed in other works.

Mr. Cen's views on many issues of Tang history are diametrically opposed to those of Mr. Chen Yinke, and many chapters in the book can be seen in their contradictory views, which can only be understood by reading Mr. Chen's book well. This book belongs to the work of returning to read after having a certain level of Tang history, which can greatly improve the level of cognition.

The Book of the Old Tang Dynasty, the Book of the New Tang Dynasty, the Tang Ji section of the Zizhi Tongjian, volumes 185 to 265. In addition, Mr. Wang Zhongju's "History of the Five Dynasties of the Sui and Tang Dynasties" takes the era as the main axis, and has a comprehensive description of the economy, society, frontier, transportation, agriculture, industry and commerce, and culture of the Tang Dynasty.

Lu Simian's "History of the Five Dynasties of the Sui and Tang Dynasties", and Cen Zhongmian's "History of the Sui and Tang Dynasties" by Cen Zhongmian, a master in the field of Tang history

General History of the Tang Dynasty: Mr. Sun Yinggang's "A Detailed Lecture on Chinese History: History of the Five Dynasties of the Sui and Tang Dynasties".

In terms of political and military systems, the famous scholar Mr. Chen Yinke's "A Brief Essay on the Origin of the Sui and Tang Dynasties", "A Treatise on the Political History of the Tang Dynasty", and the "Political History of China from the Sixth to the Ninth Centuries" by Mr. Huang Yongnian, a giant of Tang history.

Wang Zhongju, "History of the Five Dynasties of the Sui and Tang Dynasties": This book is the most suitable general history work of the Tang Dynasty for readers to get started, and the author is a giant in the field of medieval Chinese history. The book was written in the 80s of the last century, some concepts of the times and outdated terms are inevitable, but on the whole, this book not only clearly describes the basic historical events of the Tang Dynasty from its founding to its demise, but what is more commendable is that the author has made a comprehensive description of the economy, society, frontier, transportation, agriculture, industry and commerce, and culture of the Tang Dynasty around the main axis of the times, which can be called a condensed version of the encyclopedia of Tang Dynasty history.

After carefully reading this book, we can have a minimum three-dimensional understanding of the whole picture of Tang history.

I recommend Japan's Professor Hoki Kekazawa's "Splendid World Empires: The Sui and Tang Dynasties", which describes the convergence of multiple cultures along the Silk Road and the prosperity and glory of the international metropolises.

Since this book is written by the Japanese in another position to write about the rise and fall of this 300-year period of chaos, it is refreshing to read.

I think 300 Tang poems is a very good book, in the 300 Tang poems, we can learn about political issues, as well as environmental issues, and some personal ones, at that time, I think through the words, words, and sentences in the 300 Tang poems, we can better understand the past of the Tang Dynasty.

I used to read a book called "The Golden Peach of Samarkand", which is a Sinological work written by a Western scholar. It is easier to read than the classical Chinese of ancient history books, and the description of the social style of the Tang Dynasty is also very comprehensive, involving all aspects of daily life, animals, plants, clothing, food, housing, transportation, and even spices and ores, etc., and the author's grasp of the text is also in place, which can make people feel the prosperity and mysterious beauty of the Tang Dynasty.

The book on the history of the Tang Dynasty is worth recommending "Zizhi Tongjian", which is relatively simple and easy to understand, and the historical context of the chronicle is clearer.

Zizhi Tongjian (Chang Jianzuo "Tongjian") is a multi-volume chronicle edited by the Northern Song Dynasty historian Sima Guang, with a total of 294 volumes, which took 19 years to complete the destruction of the belt. Mainly based on time and events, it was written from the 23rd year of King Weilie of Zhou (403 BC) to the sixth year of Zhou Shizong Xiande (959 AD) five generations later, covering the history of 1362 years of the 16th Dynasty.

In this book, the editors summed up many lessons for the rulers to learn from, and Song Shenzong believed that this book "in view of the past, it has the ability to govern the way", that is, to use the gains and losses of history as a warning to strengthen the rule, so it was named "Zizhi Tongjian". The "Zizhi Tongjian" has 294 volumes, about 3 million words, and 30 volumes of "Examination of Differences" and "Table of Contents".

Sima Guangji (1019-1086) was a politician, historian, and writer during the Northern Song Dynasty. A native of Shushui Township, Xia County, Shaanzhou Prefecture of the Northern Song Dynasty (now Xia County, Shanxi), he was born in Guangshan County, Henan Province. Sima Guang has been fond of learning since childhood, and he especially likes "The Biography of the Zuo Family in the Spring and Autumn Period".

Sima Guang has written extensively. In addition to the "Zizhi Tongjian", there are also 80 volumes of "Tongjian Calendar", 20 volumes of "Ji Gulu", and 6 volumes of "List of Hundred Officials and Ministers of this Dynasty". In addition, he studied and wrote in literature, classics, philosophy, and even medicine.

His main representative works include "Hanlin Poetry and Grass", "Notes on Ancient Literature", "Yi Shuo", "Notes on Taixuanjing", "Notes on Yangzi", "Shuyi", "Travels in the Mountains", "Continuation of Poetry", "Medical Questions", "Records of Lianshui", "Class Chapters", "Sima Wenzheng Public Collection" and so on. Historically, Sima Guang was enshrined as one of the Three Sages of Confucianism (the other two were Confucius and Meng Boyu).

1. Wang Zhongju, "History of the Five Dynasties of the Sui and Tang Dynasties".

This book is the most suitable for readers to get started with the general history of the Tang Dynasty, and the author, Mr. Wang Zhongju, is a giant in the field of medieval Chinese history. The book was written in the 80s of the last century, and some concepts and outdated terms are inevitable, but on the whole, the book not only clearly recounts the basic historical events of the Tang Dynasty from its founding to its demise.

What is even more commendable is that the author has made a comprehensive description of the economy, society, frontier, transportation, agriculture, industry and commerce, and culture of the Tang Dynasty around the main axis of the times, which can be called a condensed version of the historical encyclopedia of the Tang Dynasty. After reading this book carefully, you can have a minimum three-dimensional understanding of the whole picture of the loss hall of Tang history.

2. Yao Ping, The Life Course of Women in the Tang Dynasty

Women, as the other half of humanity, should not lack their place in the study of history. As the title suggests, this book details the life course of a woman in the Tang Dynasty, from childhood to old age, and the various institutions unique to women's lives in between.

3. Chen Qiaoshui, "The Hidden Scene: Women's Culture and Family Life in the Tang Dynasty".

Mr. Chen Qiaoshui is a strong scholar of the cultural history of the Tang Dynasty, and although this book also involves a large number of general and noisy narratives of women's life in the Tang Dynasty, it pays more attention to the ideology, consciousness, and cultural connotation of women's life in the Tang Dynasty.