which is/was the best Chinese dynasty ever?

[Yoda]

just curious. I'd love to hear the reasoning too, thanks!

 

I'm just studying Chinese history for the first time and still have a long ways to go and maybe will change my mind as I learn more, but I like the Han best.

 

The "Han Synthesis" that my teacher talks about seems to blend social order philosophy, law, ethics and Taoism in a very cool way.

 

Also I like that the founder was originally a prison warden who had a few prisoners escape and, due to that, he was to be executed so he had no choice but turn his prisoners into bandit warriors and take over the empire!

 

Plus, as a Taoist, I like it that Buddhism hasn't bumped us off the road at this point.

 

Also Han clothing is way cool!!!

 

Yoda

[Nanashi]

I voted for Tang, for two reasons: Li Po and Tu Fu.

 

Zhou, specifically the Spring and Autumn Period, would make a close second, due to the influx of such influential texts and historical figures.

[Marblehead]

My vote went to Tang.

 

Specifics come hard as it has been a very long time since I studies it but Social life was very open during this period, the arts flourished (especially the Taoist arts), and there was a total freedom of religion. I remember that there was supposedly the remains of a Jewish Synagogue discovered in one of the major cities dating back to that period.

 

Happy Trails!

[三江源]

I read this as "what was the best chinese take away ever."

 

bit surprised when I opened the thread and didnt find any monks vegetables.

[Marblehead]

I read this as "what was the best chinese take away ever."

 

bit surprised when I opened the thread and didnt find any monks vegetables.

 

 

 

So are you fully awake now?

 

Happy Trails!

[Zhuo Ming-Dao]

I voted for the Tang Dynasty... though my first choice wasn't listed. The Tang period produced some of China's greatest poets, painting, calligraphy, teas , literature, and architecture. It was during this period that a great synthesis and revival of ideas occurred in all of the major schools of religion and philosophy.The Confucians stopped being the same old stodgy officials and remade their philosophy by integrating Taoist metaphysical principles to create Neo-Confucianism. Chan (Zen) Buddhism was created through the fusion of Buddhism and Taoism. And Taoism, in addition to experiencing a surge in popularity, made huge leaps in the sophistication of all of the monastic practices, meditational techniques, and cultural influence (poetry, calligraphy, etc.)

 

I also love the evil Empress Wu.

 

 

My favorite period, though, is the Warring States period, after the Zhou had collapsed but before the First Emperor of Qin rose up to unite the empire. Warring States was when most of the great ancient philosophers lived and died (Confucius, Mencius, Xunzi, Han Fei Tzu, Lao Tzu, Chuang Tsu, Leih Tzu, Mo Tzu, Yang Tzu, etc.). It was a time of intrigue and power struggles, where everyone was trying to figure out the best way to bring peace and order to the land.

 

 

Also of interest is the pre-Zhuo dynasties of Xia and Shang. There is ever growing evidence that these periods really did exist. And perhaps even more interesting is the period of mythological history before the Xia dynasty, with the golden age of Yao, Shun, and Yu, the flood, the Yellow Emperor and the invention of medicine, and the Yi Ching.

 

 

For you Han Dynasty lovers out there, I can commiserate. Yoda gave a very brief outline of the rise, but really, it was even more exciting than just that. If you are interested you MUST read Records of the Grand Historian: Han I by Sima Qian. It history at its best and most exciting. The Han dynasty also gave birth to several great emperors that ruled through Taoist virtue and it was ended largely by the Yellow Turban revolts, a series of peasant uprisings that was orchestrated by a brilliant, charismatic religious Taoist after he was tossed out of court for trying to manipulate the emperor, and succeeding...

 

 

I expect to see some people vote for the Three Kingdoms period just due to love of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms video games

[Ninpo-me-this-ninjutsu-me-that]

The one where Blake Carrington was taken away by a U.F.O.

 

Sorry Yoda, I couldn't resist.

[Machin Shin]

The stele from Xing fu temple talks about a mysterious craft that comes down and takes away a strong female practioner(maybe an archetype of the mother of the west?). The stele is in a collection of Bada Shanren a calligraphy artist from the ming dynasty. Bada was a decendant of Ming Royalty and a became a monk to survive the political upheaval.

 

Wonder if he reincarnated?

[Yoda]

Way cool!!! Thanks everyone!!! I'll definitely check out Records of the Grand Historian: Han I by Sima Qian. Any other must reads out there? Who is the evil Empress Wu?

 

Yoda

[Zhuo Ming-Dao]

Way cool!!! Thanks everyone!!! I'll definitely check out Records of the Grand Historian: Han I by Sima Qian. Any other must reads out there? Who is the evil Empress Wu?

 

Yoda

 

Empress Wu is a fascinating character! At age 13 she was made one of Emperor Gaozong's concubines, and spent all of her teenage years secretly offing all of the other wives and concubines. Eventually she was able to put one of her son's into a direct line for heir. Once he was in place, she had the Emperor killed and she became the defacto ruler through her son. She then had all of the remaining concubines executed (in some pretty awful ways) and she set up a network of secret police to kill anyone who might speak out against her or plan rebellion.

 

Once her son was older, he started making decisions on his own an tried to take real power. So she had him killed and placed his little brother on the throne. After some years, she had finally consolidated her power enough that she took him off the throne and ended the Tang dynasty by placing herself on the throne as Empress (Huangdi) and founding the Zhuo Dynasty.

 

As Empress she was able to publicly break the taboos against remarriage, and she set up a nice little harem for herself. She was staunchly Taoist (perhaps because one of her early secret lovers was a Buddhism monk, and he turned against her), and so she outlawed Buddhism and pored huge amounts of money into Taoism. She also reconstructed the Phoenix Pavilion and performed a recreation of the ancient ascension ritual which would place all of the spirits of China under her control and make her into the supreme empress of China. The First Emperor of Qin tried this as well, but it is said that the gods rejected him, and by Ming Yang, a usurper during the brief hiccup in the middle of the Han dynasty.

 

As an old woman, she was finally disposed by some of her officials, who wrote edicts in her name while she spent several days ill in bed. Through those edicts they were able to have her hansom young 'guards' thrown out and killed and maneuver themselves into position to retire her and place another person from the Tang dynastic line on the throne, thus restoring the Tang dynasty to power.

 

Does her monument, which she designed for herself, remind you of anything?

 

She was just such an interesting woman, even if she was a power hungry psychopath.

[Yoda]

Zhuo Ming-Dao,

 

Thanks for the lesson!!! What a wild empress... great story!

 

Your pal,

Yoda

[findley]

I would serve under a woman like that

 

Maybe apply for role as 'handsome young guard'

[gendao]

She was just such an interesting woman, even if she was a power hungry psychopath.

Ha, ya anyone who assumes that women necessarily make more peaceful, mature rulers hasn't studied Chinese history...

 

The other empress, Qing Empress Dowager Cixi...pulled back China's great Ming Dynasty naval explorations (led by the legendary Zheng He) and blew lots of money on ridiculous pork like ornamental marble steamboats, instead.

 

In fact, many of China's secret societies started with the goal of overthrowing the foreign Manchurian Qing Dynasty to restore the native Ming Dynasty. Although that obviously never exactly happened, a byproduct was a late "Golden Age" of martial arts spurred by underground groups of "boxer rebels" training themselves for combat against various foreign invaders and imperialists.

The Taoist/Buddhist White Lotus secret society then helped an ex-Buddhist monk, Chu Yuan Chin, to become the founder of the much loved Ming dynasty (from 1368 - 1644 AD).

 

In 1640 AD, a major event occurred that would lead to the eventual destruction of both Shaolins, after which they never regained the exalted state once enjoyed. Another revolt of the populace occurred as Beijing was taken over by insurgents. One of the Ming Emperor's generals asked the Manchu tribe in the north to step in and help. This they did, but once the Manchu troops cleared out Beijing, they put their own Emperor on the throne. Thus, the last Chinese dynasty ended as the much hated Manchu Ching dynasty began (from 1644 - 1911 AD).

 

Soon after, a huge patriotic movement began. Many secret societies were formed to prepare for covert battle and assassinations against the Manchu rule. Anti-Manchu rebels went to both of the Shaolin Temples and many others and secretly set up a networked line of communications from the north to the south, where the Manchu had much difficulty gaining a firm foothold. Ming royal family members were hidden as the Manchu searched to country to kill them off. At each temple, rebels masqueraded as monks to study the martial arts and keep communications lines open. The monks of Shaolin soon became embroiled in these political intrigues.

 

They made famous the battle cry, "Overthrow the Ching, Restore the Ming" and of which the familiar left palm, right fist Shaolin salute in truth is a symbol for, given as sign that one was a fellow patriot.

left fist is closed because the left arm is the way to the heart. Later this salute represented Ming, the union of the Sun with the Moon, therefore the union of Yang (proper light - the left hand) and Yin (reflected light - right hand). Ming was also the name of a Chinese dynasty in the name of which Shaolin practitioners fought long against Manchu Ch'ing dynasty.

[宁]

Tang Dynasty

 

alot of cultural development and exchange bwn buddhism, daoism, islam, manicheism, nestorian christianism

[nac]

Tang, naturally, since it produced the highest quality of life the Chinese people have ever experienced in recorded history. Neo-Confucianism hadn't been created yet. Over-refinement hadn't given rise to the unethical practice foot-binding. All religions were equally respected and there were no serious persecutions. (at least none that I know of before Wuzong of Tang)

Edited September 28, 2009 by nac

[Vajrahridaya]

 

 

She was just such an interesting woman, even if she was a power hungry psychopath.

 

WOW! I swear I saw a movie about this!

[Gerard]

Huang Di's definitively. Without him this forum wouldn't exist

 

Qin all the way. But hey there were others which were cool too.