Much more than earlier periods, the Tang era was an era renowned for its time reserved for leisure activity, especially for those in the upper classes. Many outdoor sports and activities were enjoyed during the Tang, including archery, hunting, horse polo, cuju football, cockfighting, and even tug of war. Government ...

The 7th century and first half of the 8th century is generally considered the zenith era of the Tang Dynasty. Emperor Tang Xuanzong brought the Middle Kingdom to its golden age while the Silk Road thrived, with sway over Indochina in the south, and to the west Tang China was ...

By the year 737, Emperor Xuanzong discarded the policy of conscripting soldiers that were replaced every three years, replacing them with long-service soldiers who were more battle-hardened and efficient. It was more economically feasible as well, since training new recruits and sending them out to the frontier every three years ...

Home Life Chinese houses were made out of bamboo, brick, and paper. In the construction of a house, the first thing that was built was the bamboo frame. Bamboo sticks were dug directly into the ground, without any foundation, about three yards apart. Once the frame was ready, the roof, the ...

Tea Drinking Methods Beginning to Take Shape in the Tang Dynasty From south west China along the Yangtze River, tea entered the Tang Dynasty when Lu Yu lived, during which time it went through barbaric, prosperous and declining stages over thousands of years. The Tang Dynasty was in the middle stages of ...

Analyzing the inscriptions found on oracle bones has given some clue as to what people were eating at this time. It seems that the primary staple food was millet. Two characters in particular were used to refer to it: shu and he, which today refer to two different species of ...

In 1977 an extraordinary 2,500-year-old tomb was found near the city of Suzou in Hubei Province. The four-chamber structure contained the remains of a marquis and the largest cache of ancient musical instruments ever found along with 21 sacrificed women (perhaps wives, concubines, or musicians), chariots, and weapons. The musical instruments ...

Lengthy inscriptions found on some bronze vessels indicate the Zhou were not merely military-minded philistines as they have often been made out to be. Qu Yuan (340-277 B.C.), a poet from the Warring Staes Period, is regarded by some as the father of Chinese poetry. One of his most famous ...

Shang and Chou times are known for their use of jade, bronze, horse-drawn chariots, ancestor worship, highly organized armies, and human sacrifice.  Cities were surrounded by protective walls. One city was surrounded by a wall 30 feet high, 65 feet thick, and 4 1/2 miles long! Inside these walled cities lived ...