Sunday, January 8, 2012

Front Page News Story

The Tang dynasty should never have created communism,everyone  works so hard to make a living for themselves and their families and the government takes it and divides it among everyone,even the people who don't work!The Tang tried to use communism(which means that all of the money earned is divided up equally to everyone),which  would mean that the hard working doctors would be  sharing their hard earned money wit the peasants on the streets,and there on,and there on.For example,a sports star of a famous team would be spending their salary cap from their contract and using it(being forced to)to pay for everyone to get an equal share,so if there were 49 other people,and he got a $100 contract,everyone would get $2,even though he did all  the work.

I have investigated and inspected this and have found a few facts about this new communist society.No matter how hard a person worked,they could never keep the pay of what they have earned from their hard work,they would be just as rich as someone who had been cleaning up trash at a local diner and slacking off and ditching.

People should go up against the government and fight to end communism,who would want to be working hard for some slacker to be getting your pay?I wouldn't.If the whole government went into a communist society,everyone would stop working hard and would slack off and not care for doing a good job.

The emperor,Emperor Gaozu,took land from the rich and the hard workers and gave it to the poor people so that they would care more for the government and do a better job at their jobs,but at the same time,the emperor is angering those who are already rich and have worked hard from the start to make their living,and would be subjected to land loss because some hotheaded emperor wants to make a difference in our lives and ends up losing our respect.I personally was one of these people,and I was angered when I received word from the emperor that I would have to give up 1/2 of my land to a group of peasants who don't deserve any of my land.

If we had got into this a while ago and had tried to put an end to communism right when it started I would have thought we could go into a Daoism belief,because I feel it would be a better use for our society and a better use for all of the people in China.If we had stopped communism right away because now the peasants are gaining power that shouldn't be theirs,this happens because of all of the complaints about peasants being worked to death.A person who is a hard worker(also located in the first and second paragraphs) would get about 1/4 of what they would get if their wasn't a communist society.  The Tang dynasty should not have ever created a communist society because it would have lead to a lack of work for the government and our world itself.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Tang Dynasty Editorial

The Tang should not have believed in a Buddhist society,where the people were supposed to live in a peaceful society with inner peace and compassion for everything around them.People were even complaining that Buddhism had parts that were interfering/invading Confucianism.For example,Han Yu was a poet and a high official,he was also a Confectionist,but disbelieved in Buddhism, and didn't trust the religion/way of life.He especially didn't like the talk of relics("body parts that supposedly belonged to the Buddha himself").

People should definitely have complained about trying to use a Buddhist society in their government for a peaceful,spiritual life.What would the people do if they were invaded?Would they run?Would they give up their land?Would they even dare to fight back?No...They would just back off because all they would be believing in was a Buddhist society that didn't really have a fighting side of it.If the Tang was being overthrown by the citizens,they would run,because they wouldn't have a strong army to hold off all of the thousands and millions of people that would be rioting to overthrow them.

Another example of why the Tang should not use Buddhism for their government is because it would cause an influence on the Chinese culture.The citizens were worried about the wealth and independence of the monasteries,even though there were monks that were contributing to their society and hospitals and making gardens of food for the sick and the poor people,they were seen by the monks as self-sufficient kingdoms.The government was even trying to tax them more for having monasteries!!!There was stuff that was expensive arts being taken by the government officials for the Emperor's treasury!The belief of Buddhism caused hatred of monasteries to some people just because it had invaded China's beliefs!

A final example that was found about why Buddhism should be stopped is because of all of the bad things it had caused because of all of the monasteries and all of the beliefs of Buddhism.The Emperor had ordered that 40,000 shrines and 4,600 monasteries would be destroyed.But he also forced 260,000 monks and nuns to give up their own religious beliefs and made them return to their "original life."If the monks and nuns were believing in what they wanted,the whole government would be a train wreck because all of the government would be made up of a bunch of smaller religions instead of one giant one that they could all just follow,nothing would be different,they would all be the same,but no,everyone wanted themselves to be able to believe in what they felt they should,and that would anger many,many people.

Some people say that I am just a liar and a fake but I am not,I am a reporter who thinks he should get the REAL news out to the government and all of China,if I was lying,I would say that Buddhism was killing people because of it's bad influence on our lives.The disbelievers just think we should keep our lives the way it is now so that everyone is individual and can make their own choices,but that's not how life works!Life is about people growing up,getting jobs,helping the economy exceed and taking ownership and responsibility for what they think is right.

Friday, January 6, 2012

Map of the Tang Dynasty

Tang Dynasty Map(618 A.D-907 A.D)
This is a map of the Tang Dynasty(618 A.D-907A.D),it was/is a lot smaller than Present-day China,but it is pretty big based on the time period that it was conquered in. It was home to many rivers such as the Chang'an,which is highlighted on the map in a green shade. The land that is covered in a brownish shade is what was conquered and controlled by the Tang. The dashed lines that are formed around the map are the boundaries of current surrounding countries(on this map it shows only China and Mongolia). The Tang controlled a lot of land,and was very rich at the time,it was one of the richest countries in the world at it's time,basically,the bigger their size,the more prosperous they would be.The Tang controlled most of what is now Present-day China,except for the fact that China's later rulers started expanding to the north and the west.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Interview with Emperor Gaozu

Reporter: Hello Emperor Gaozu,how are you today on this fine day?

Emperor Gaozu: I am doing very well,how are you?I didn't catch your name,what was it?

Reporter:I am doing very well,thanks for asking,my name is Peter,Peter Laskaris.

Reporter:If you don't mind emperor,I would just like to ask you a few questions.

Emperor Gaozu: Ok,let's get started!!!

Reporter:First,how did you feel when you were deciding to take over and make your new dynasty?

Emperor Gaozu:That is a very good question,when I heard about an interview,I was hoping someone would ask me that.....well,I was very nervous at first because when I was trying to end the Sui dynasty,I thought they would be very tough to stop because they had a well defensive system,and I didn't know if I could stop them,so I tried to come up with an idea to sneak up and capture the government when they would least expect it,so it would be an awful idea to try to attack a strong army when you are by yourself,because the odds would be like 10,000 to 1,and that is unfair,so I had to go for the emperor and tries to overthrow him by making speeches and getting riots to try to help overthrow him.....Is that enough Peter?

Reporter:Yes that is fine,second question,How old were you when you conquered the Tang dynasty from the Siu?

Emperor Gaozu:I was vaguely 52 years old at the time

Reporter:Third question,you ended up getting your dynasty to be the wealthiest one so far in China,how exactly did you get your economy to be so well financially?

Emperor Gaozu:I am a man who tries to get himself into power,a man who likes to make a change,and a man who wants to help his people have a better life and to be happy,this is not an answer to make all of the people think I am a publicity hog,I just feel that I could one day grow up to make a difference in this world,and I did,that is why I am always trying to do new things.I told everyone that we would be trying to go into a communist society to see how our lives would be if nobody was rich or poor,because nobody would be categorized any differently,we would all be "middle class,"when we started,everything was fine,all of the people were very well with their work because now everyone was apart of our government and everyone wanted to make a change.After a few years of being a communist society,I felt that everyone was starting to recognize that even if they weren't working,they would still be getting paid(because that is what a communist society is),so I decided that I should start to be a Daoism society,and to try to keep everything the way it was before,and as it turned out,when the money went back to the people who originally owned it,people actually started working harder to gain it back!!!They got a chance to live as a middle class person and actually enjoyed it,so they wanted to earn it back for them and their families.And that is what I hope will happen for my power in the government and what I hope will happen when I am gone.

Reporter:That is very inspirational,and I hope so too!My fourth and last question,How long do you feel you should be in power for?

Emperor Gaozu:I have a good feeling that I will be in power for about 20 more years,I feel like I can make a big difference in this society and maybe I can also make our government a better place for all of  China for further expansion,and,hopefully not,a loss of land to other countries who might gain more power and maybe an army that could be unstoppable,if I am to be overthrown or just want to respectfully resign to one of my future children or another ruler who I find suitable for this role,but I will try to keep my government strong and safe and healthy for as long as I am here....Thank you Peter for this  interview,we should stay in touch.

Reporter:Thank you Emperor Gaozu,I think we should do this  again in a few years and we can see about your future plans for your new dynasty,but for now,goodbye.

Emperor Gaozu:Yes,that will do....goodbye




On the right is a picture of emperor Taizong of the Tang dynasty,who captured and controlled China    ------>

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Inventions of the Tang Dynasty

The Tang dynasty created and invented many things during their time of reign.One invention of the Tang that highly contributed to their society is Gunpowder.Gunpowder was invented in China during the Tang dynasty,and was an important invention in their time period because they lead to many new uses such as being used to treat skin diseases and as a spray to kill insects,that was,before it was later used in guns,fireworks and rocketry. Gunpowder was made from the mixture of charcoal,sulfur and saltpeter(that's what the website said).
Gunpowder was invented by Emperor Wu Di and a group of alchemists,who spent a bunch of time doing research trying to create external life(which is  what all other emperors tried to do).It was first used to treat skin diseases and also as a spray to kill insects and bugs.Prior to the invention,people began experimenting with the gunpowder,they later made bows with tubes attached to them(filled with gunpowder),they fired arrows with it,they then found out they could just fire the tubes themselves because of all of the power from the pressure of the escaping gasses.
Gunpowder has really changed people's lives in many ways.For example,it is now being used by all of the armies all around the world(well,most of them).It is really being used inside guns to propel(force)the bullets out of the gun to fire the gun.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Culture/Religion of the Tang

The Tang dynasty believed in Taoism (Daoism),which is the belief that everyone should live a peacefully,happily and spiritually.One example of a religious practice/belief of Daoism is wu-wei,in which people learn to live free like birds,who use the wind to guide them,rather  than trying to force their way through the wind currents,they are taught this to avoid living like learning ambition(a desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as power, honor, fame, or wealth),excessive desire and  self pride.Wu-wei is important to the religious beliefs of the Tang because it teaches them to live life the way it flows,instead of pushing for self-efficiency and self confidence.
Another example of a religious practice/belief that the Tang used in Daoism to satisfy their lives was alchemy,the belief in which people would learn the understanding(s) of medicine and the body.Alchemy also focused on the purification of ones spirit and body.Alchemy was important to the religious beliefs of the Tang because it taught them medicine and taught them more about the body and how it worked.
Legalism shouldn't be a religion of the Tang dynasty because it taught the people that everyone was selfish,and that they should care for themselves.That is bad for the religion of the Tang because it would be teaching them to all be selfish .The Tang dynasty should keep their religion and culture as Daoism and not Legalism because Daoism teaches all people to live spiritually and peacefully.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Additional Option

My blog is a blog  about a man who saw an opportunity to take control of China during the end of the  Siu dynasty.He found that there was no power and stepped right in and took over,and lead China to its most powerful and wealthiest state it had ever been in and probably even wealthier than it is in the 21st century(which is why it was called "China's Golden Age").The great emperor Taizong will be remembered and cherished as one of/and maybe even the greatest leader China had and maybe ever will have.Emperor Taizong lead China to have a giant army and a great economy.He was so great that the name of his reign was called "Zhenguan,"and  his ruling period was called the "Zhenguan Reigning Period."China  liked Emperor Taizong because he was open to  new ideas the officials and citizens came up with,and used those ideas to make his China better for everyone.Emperor Taizong died on July 10, 649.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Bibliography for Tang Dynasty Blog

                                                                  Works Cited
BCPS. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2012. <http://bcps.org/‌offices/‌lis/‌models/‌chinahist/‌dynasties.html>.

China Knowledge. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2012. <http://chinaknowledge.de/‌history/‌tang/‌tang-tech.html>.

Strauss, Suzanne. The Story of Ancient China. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

Think Quest. Think Quest, n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2012. <library.thinkquest.org/‌12255/‌library/‌dynasty/‌tang.html>.

åhttp://www.religious-beliefs.com/taoism.htm