ABSTRACT
The T'ang dynasty, a.d. 618-907, which was contemporaneous with the age of Alfred the Great in England, ranks with that of Han as one of the most glorious in Chinese history, and the picture of the country presented to us at that time is one of national peace, prosperity, and progress. One of the most brilliant emperors of this house was Kao-tsung, who reigned for thirty-four years, but it is sad to follow his career from its wise and virtuous beginning, to the senseless debauch and corruption of its closing days. In course of time the empire fell into that disorder which almost invariably marked the declining years of Chinese dynasties, and in 907 the glorious house of T'ang passed away, to make room for a succession of short dynasties which reigned in China until the rise of the Sung power in 960.
