ABSTRACT
Traditionally, the Tang dynasty is broken up into four periods: Early Tang, High Tang, Middle Tang, and Late Tang. The relative diplomatic advantage the Tang had enjoyed in the seventh to eighth centuries had disappeared. It is true that international relations in seventh to ninth-century East Asia cannot be dealt with without taking China into consideration. Based on the Confucian concept of royal authority, the forces that negated the interruption of the Tang rejected the Zhou dynasty ruled by a female emperor. In various aspects, including military defense, urban security, fire-prevention enhanced by a network of ward walls, the symbolism of the city layout, religious establishments, cultural and religious diversity, Chang'an was a metropolis that absorbed many changes in the Eurasia continent since the fourth century. The setup and maintenance of the capital made it necessary for the setup and maintenance of an administrative city network for the purpose of receiving tribute and foreign envoys.
