Late Tang China and the World, 750–907 CE

This Element reassesses the standard cosmopolitanism-to-xenophobia narrative of late Tang China, presenting a more empirically-grounded and nuanced interpretation of the Tang empire's foreign relations after 755.

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In recent decades, the Tang dynasty (618-907) has acquired a reputation as the most 'cosmopolitan' period in Chinese history. The standard narrative also claims that this cosmopolitan openness faded after the An Lushan Rebellion of 755-763, to be replaced by xenophobic hostility toward all things foreign. This Element reassesses the cosmopolitanism-to-xenophobia narrative and presents a more empirically-grounded and nuanced interpretation of the Tang empire's foreign relations after 755.