Two Great Poets, Two Different Styles

Chang'an - Throughout the many prosperous years that the Tang dynasty has ruled, poetry has flourished and become massively popular. In fact, two of the greatest poets in Chinese history are alive today, good friends writing in completely different styles. Their names are Li Bo and Du Fu, and they have influenced the world of poetry greatly.

Li Bo, a Daoist, has a very "go with the flow" style, often writing about the moonlit parties that he so often attends. His poems are usually happy, including verses about wine and music from these parties. He is a favorite of the royal court, often entertaining the emperor with his uplifting poems. Always surrounded by friends, he enjoys the pleasures in life, and has a way of making the readers of his poems feel his pleasure as well.

Unlike Li Bo, Du Fu's style is very serious and solemn. He writes about the darker side of life, the suffering and tragedies of people. Fu writes about this because, as he quotes, "I have seen the darker side of life, the disappointment of failing the civil service exam. I struggle to make a living, since poetry doesn't always support me." His poems also include his disgust towards warfare and political corruption, making the poems seem even more serious.

Although these great poets are practically opposites, they have largely contributed to Chinese culture, producing hundreds of poems thus far. From Bo's happy, carefree style to Fu's Solemn and serious way of writing, they have changed the way China looks at poetry forever.

Lifelike Ceramics Become Popular

Chang'an - Ceramics have become a very popular choice of work these past few years, as the great Tang dynasty rules over China. These new types of ceramics are very different from past Chinese statues, which were very stiff and unrealistic. Now, they have evolved into extremely lifelike and detailed pieces of art.

Many of the favored ceramic statues are of women, usually either slender or plump, horses, portrayed as energetic and loyal, and camels carrying loads of silk and spices. In the tombs of noblemen people are putting sculptures of buildings for the deceased to live in during their afterlife. Frightening guardian spirits are even being placed at the entrance of tombs to scare away demons.

These intricate sculptures are made out of white clay, which is molded into the figures and covered with cream glaze, fired in a kiln. A second glaze is added, this time with pigments added for color. Some of the colors used are copper for green, cobalt for deep blue, and iron oxide for colors ranging from soft yellow to amber. If this glaze is fired onto the clay, the colors will mix and leave a beautiful effect on the sculpture known as three-color ware.

Although these are popular types of ceramics, perhaps the most popular are white porcelains. Mainly produced in the Hebei province, these pieces of art are very thin and translucent, some even as clear as glass. New techniques are even being developed to decorate the beautiful white sculptures with brightly colored designs.

New Fashion Statement Sweeping Through Chang'an

Chang'an - Nobles all over Chang'an have recently been sporting the new, extensive style that is sweeping through China. Men and their wives are now wearing long, flowing silk garments in bright colors. This new fashion is currently being seen all over the Imperial City, especially in the courts.

Although robes have been popular in the past, there have never been as bright and colorful as some of these. The emperor and his sons wear yellow, the imperial color, and his grandsons are wearing purple, the color of promise and potential. Most nobles are wearing different colors such as red, symbolizing luck and happiness, or others like blue and green. Colors have become so important that there is now a law passed that states that only wealthy people can wear bright colors, and peasants found wearing them will be punished.

"The new way of dress is very bright and colorful, and I think it suits our court very well," says Zangzu, a member of the royal court. "Both men and women seem to like it, and everyone looks great."

While the colors are similar, the current fashion of dress does vary from men to women. A noble man can be found wearing a robe with sleeves so wide they need to be weighed down so they don't flap in the wind. They are also wearing large, elaborate hats that symbolize their position and status in the court. The hats are made out of many materials, such as lacquered cloth and leather, and can be shaped into many different things.

Women, on the other hand, are wearing a long, colorful skirt and jacket with a short sleeved shirt. Their shoes are made out of brocade, a silk cloth that has patterns woven into it, and the woman's long hair is usually tied into a topknot on top of their head which is held in place by precisely carved combs and hairpins. Most women are also wearing thick, white make-up so they don't look like a tan peasant working in the sun.

Xuan Zang Returns to China

Chang’an – After a sixteen year journey into the heart of India to study Buddhism, Xuan Zang has finally returned to China. Just yesterday, he was greeted with an imperial audience and met with Emperor Tiazong himself. He has brought with him a total of 657 manuscripts.

Confused by the misinformation and missing pieces in Chinese translations of Buddhist texts, Zang decided to travel to India to study more effectively. Unfortunately for him, Tiazong denied his trip to India. That didn’t stop him though. Zang snuck out of Chang’an, traveling at first by night to avoid being captured. After staying with the Turfan King for about a month, he avoided having to live there for the rest of his life by way of a hunger strike, he set out again on his journey to India, no longer in hiding, but as an accredited pilgrim.

When Zang finally arrived in India, he spent most of his time at the Nalanda monastery and became a disciple of Silabhadra, the abbot of Nalanda. There he collected a vast collection of Buddhist texts and artifacts, studying Buddhism in great detail.

Emperor Tiazong heard of Zang’s travels and at first was outraged that he had gone against his will, but the then he heard of his accomplishments in India, and decided to greet the Buddhist himself when he arrived back in China. After meeting with Zang yesterday, the Emperor has been so impressed by the texts and relics that he has collected that he will allow him to devote the rest of his life to translating the many manuscripts. He has also decided to grant Zang a large salary for life, along with over 20 translators to help him with his work.

Empress Wu's Impressive Reign Reaches One Year Mark

Louyang – Overall, Empress Wu's climb to power has been a relatively notable one. While ruling China this past year, she has done many things to help the country.

Today marks the one-year anniversary of Empress Wu’s reign over China, which began when her son, Emperor Ruizong, resigned from power to allow his mother to take the throne. She is the very first woman in history to rule China under her own name, and even changed the name of the dynasty to the Zhou.

Now, during possibly one of China’s most peaceful and prosperous eras, Wu has taken China to its full potential. She has done this in many ways, such as lowering taxes for the peasants, which has greatly improved the economy and raised the agricultural production, and diminishing the influence of aristocrats, allowing only scholars to enter the government through the civil service exam.

Scholar-official Xouxang stated, “The new Empress is already leading China down a great path. By lowering taxes peasants have been able to spend more on what they need for their crops, which has helped improve agricultural production. This has helped the economy prosper, since farmers have had more crops to sell and more money to buy things with. Overall, Empress Wu is expected to continue to improve China to a great extent.”

Wu’s journey to this point has been long and devious, but definitely worth it. She was a favorite concubine of both Emperor Tiazong and his son Emperor Gaozong, soon working her way up to his wife, most likely by cleverly framing his first wife of murder. When Gaozong had an unfortunate stoke, Wu took over his duties, effectively running the government until he died and their son, Zhongzong took over. She continued to control him, overthrowing him after some time and placing her weakest son, Ruizong, in power so she could run things more easily. Eventually, she assisted him in resigning and declared herself Empress in 689.

The Empress has not exactly gained power in a normal or fair way, most likely by killing her own daughter to frame the Emperor's wife of murder, along with killing off the majority of the imperial family when the Tang princes attempted to revolt. There are even suspicions that she created fake Buddhist texts and cauldrons to boast her rule.

But even though the texts and cauldrons were falsely created, they are still right to boast about the Empress's rule. She has done many great things for China, immensely improving the lives of all Chinese people. From lowering taxes to creating a government that treats everyone fairly, life in China for everyone, especially peasants, has been greatly enhanced.