ABSTRACT
The Tang dynasty fell in 906. This event had no direct impact on Seasia except for Vietnam, but numerous political changes took place in many parts of the region at almost the same time. Vietnam became
independent after having formed part of China for 1,000 years. One major kingdom, Mataram, central Java, fell, as did the use of Sanskrit; only four Sanskrit inscriptions were written in Java in the Middle Classic, three of which are bilingual. Shipwrecks in the Java Sea indicate that maritime trade between China and Indonesia at the beginning of the Middle Classic was thriving. As in previous instances, the fall of kingdoms was not necessarily bad for business. In some cases it may have led to greater freedom for merchants.
