The An Shi Rebellion (simplified Chinese: 安史之乱; traditional Chinese: 安史之亂; pinyin: Ān Shǐ Zhīluàn) took place in China during the Tang Dynasty, from December 16, 755 to February 17, 763. It is also known as the Tianbao Rebellion (天寶之亂), because An Lushan started it in the 14th year of that namesake era. The alternative term An Lushan Rebellion is also used. Simplified Chinese character (Simplified Chinese: or ; traditional Chinese: or ; pinyin: or ) is one of two standard sets of Chinese characters of the contemporary Chinese written language. ... Traditional Chinese characters refers to one of two standard sets of printed Chinese characters. ... Pinyin, more formally called Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... For the band, see Tang Dynasty (band). ... is the 350th day of the year (351st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Abd-ar-rahman I lands in Spain, where the next year he will establish a new Umayyad dynasty. ... is the 48th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Ciniod succeeds Bridei V as king of the Picts. ... An Lushan (traditional Chinese: ; simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ) (ca. ... An era name was assigned as the name of each year by the leader (emperor or king) of the East Asian countries of China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam during some portion of their history. ...

An Lushan

A Northern Qi stone stele depicting Sogdian musicians.

An Lushan was a general of Turkic ancestry (i.e., non-Han). He was appointed by the Xuanzong emperor (following the suggestion of Yang Guifei and with the agreement of Li Linfu) to be commander (節度使) of three garrisons in the north—Pinglu, Fanyang and Hedong. In effect, An was given control over the entire area north of the lower reaches of the Yellow River. With such power and land in his control (including garrisons about 164,000 strong), An Lushan planned a revolt, taking advantage of the absence of strong troops guarding the palace and of the popular discontent with the extravagant Tang court caused by a string of natural disasters. He avoided suspicion by pleasing the Emperor in as many ways as possible, even calling himself the adopted son of Xuanzong's favorite concubine, Yang Guifei. In this way, he was protected from criticism, even when the Chief Minister, Yang Guozhong, demanded his dismissal. (This version of events is disputed by some historians; see the articles about the Yangs, An and the emperor.) The Northern Qi Dynasty was one of the Northern dynasties of Chinese history and ruled northern China from 550 to 577. ... The Sogdians were an ancient people of Central Asia, who inhabited the region known to the West as Sogdiana. ... An Lushan (traditional Chinese: ; simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ) (ca. ... This article is about the various peoples speaking one of the Turkic languages. ... Language(s) Chinese languages Religion(s) Predominantly Mahayana Buddhism and Taoism. ... Xuanzong can be the name of the following Chinese emperors: Emperor Xuanzong of Tang China (reign: 712-756) Emperor Xuanzong II of Tang China (reign: 846-859) Xuande Emperor of the Ming Dynasty (reign: 1425-1435) Daoguang Emperor of the Qing Dynasty (reign: 1820-1850) This is a disambiguation page... Yáng GuìfÄ“i (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), Yáng: (a common surname), GuìfÄ“i: highest-ranking imperial concubine (literally means precious princess consort), (June 1, 719 — July 15, 756), born Yáng Yùhuán (楊玉環), was one of the Four Beauties of ancient China. ... Li Linfu (李林甫) (d. ... Fanyang (Traditional Chinese:范陽) is an ancient city in Northern China, somewhere around the modern-day city of Beijing. ... Yáng GuìfÄ“i (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), Yáng: (a common surname), GuìfÄ“i: highest-ranking imperial concubine (literally means precious princess consort), (June 1, 719 — July 15, 756), born Yáng Yùhuán (楊玉環), was one of the Four Beauties of ancient China. ... Yang Guozhong (楊國忠 Pinyin: yang2 guo2 zhong1) (d. ...

Revolt and initial successes

In 755, An Lushan revolted under the pretense of punishing his tormentor Yang Guozhong. His army surged down from Fanyang (near Beijing in modern Hebei province). Along the way, An Lushan treated all surrendered local Tang officials with respect. As a result, more and more local officials joined his ranks. He moved rapidly along the Grand Canal of China and captured the city of Luoyang within the year. There, An Lushan declared himself Emperor of the new Great Yan dynasty (大燕皇帝). His next step would be to overtake the Tang capital and the rest of southern China. Events Abd-ar-rahman I lands in Spain, where the next year he will establish a new Umayyad dynasty. ... Peking redirects here. ... Grand Canal of China The Grand Canal of China (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), also known as the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is the longest ancient canal or artificial river in the world. ... Luoyang (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province, Peoples Republic of China. ...

However, the battle for eastern China went badly for An Lushan. Although his army was numerous, it was unable to take control of the Suiyang District (near modern-day Henan) from the Tang defenders. This prevented him from quickly conquering southern China, before the Tang were able to recover. By the time the Yan army took control of the Suiyang District, it was almost two years after the fall of Luoyang. Combatants Tang Dynasty New Great Yan Dynasty Commanders Zhang Xun, Nam Zhu Yun, Hui Yuan Ling Wu Chew, Lee Ting Mong, Yang Chu Zong, Yun Zi Qí Strength 3,000 at Yongqiu 10,000 in Suiyang 50,000+ in Yongqiu 150,000+ in Suiyang Casualties Less than 2,000 in... Shangqiu (Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is a prefecture-level city in eastern Henan province, Peoples Republic of China. ... Henan (Chinese: 河南; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Ho-nan), is a province of the Peoples Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. ...

Advancing to the capital

Emperor Minghuang's Journey to Sichuan; a painting depicting the flight of Emperor Xuanzong from Chang'an, a late Ming Dynasty painting after an original by Qiu Ying (1494-1552).

Originally, An Lushan's forces were blocked from the main imperial capital at Chang'an by loyal troops placed in impregnable defensive positions in the intervening mountain passes. Unfortunately for Chang'an, Yang Guozhong, with grossly inept military judgment, ordered the troops in the passes to attack An's army on open ground. They were demolished, and the road to the capital now lay open. Seeing the imminent threat to Changan, Xuanzong fled to Sichuan with his household. On the way, at Mawei Inn in Shaanxi, Xuanzong's bodyguard troops demanded the death of the much-hated Yang Guozhong, and then of his cousin, Lady Yang. With the army on the verge of mutiny, the Emperor had no choice but to agree, ordering the execution of Yang Guozhong and the suicide of Lady Yang. Meanwhile, the crown prince, Li Heng, fled in the other direction to Lingzhou (today called Lingwu, in modern-day Ningxia province). After reaching Sichuan, Xuanzong abdicated in favour of the crown prince. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2592 × 1944 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2592 × 1944 pixel, file size: 2. ... Emperor Tang Xuanzong (唐玄宗) (September 8, 685 - May 3, 762), born Li Longji (李隆基), was the sixth emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, reigning from 712 to 756. ... For other uses, see Changan (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Ming. ... Spring morning in the Han Palace, by Qiu Ying Qiu Ying (仇英; Wade-Giles Chiu Ying) (1494 - 1552) was a Chinese painter who specialized in the gongbi brush technique. ... For other uses, see Changan (disambiguation). ... Emperor Tang Xuanzong (唐玄宗) (September 8, 685 - May 3, 762), born Li Longji (李隆基), was the sixth emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, reigning from 712 to 756. ... This article is about the Chinese province. ... Yang Guozhong (楊國忠 Pinyin: yang2 guo2 zhong1) (d. ... Yang Guifei (楊貴妃 Secondary-consort Yang) (June 1, 719- 756), born Yang Yuhuan (楊玉環), was one of the Four Beauties of ancient China. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Lingwu. ... Ningxia (Simplified Chinese: 宁夏; Traditional Chinese: 寧夏; Pinyin: Níngxià; Wade-Giles: Ning-hsia; Postal Pinyin: Ningsia), full name Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (Simplified Chinese: 宁夏回族自治区; Traditional Chinese: 寧夏回族自治區; Pinyin: Níngxià Huízú ZìzhìqÅ«), is a Hui autonomous region of the Peoples Republic of China, located on the northwest Loess...

This (3rd or 4th) son of Xuanzong, now called Suzong, was then proclaimed emperor, although another group of local officials and Confucian literati tried to proclaim a different prince at Jinling (modern-day Nanjing). One of Suzong's first acts as emperor was to appoint the generals Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi to deal with the rebellion. The generals, after much discussion, decided to borrow troops from an offshoot of the Turkish Tujue Tribe, the Huihe tribe (ancestors of the modern-day Uyghurs). In this way, the Imperial forces recaptured both Chang'an and Luoyang, though they failed to pursue the fleeing rebels. Emperor Tang Suzong (è‚…å®— (711-762, r. ... For other uses, see Nanjing (disambiguation). ... Guo Ziyi (Traditional Chinese: 郭子儀, Simplified Chinese: 郭子仪 , Hanyu Pinyin: Guō Zǐyí, Wade-Giles: Kuo Tzu-i) (697–781) was a general of Tang China who ended the Anshi Rebellion, and participated in the expeditions against the people of Huihe (Uighurs) and Tubo (Tibetans). ... The Göktürks or Kök-Türks, known in medieval Chinese sources as Tujue (突厥 tú jué), under the leadership of Bumin/Tuman Khan/Khaghan (d. ... Uyghurs (also called Uighurs, Uygurs, or Uigurs) (Chinese: 維吾爾 or 维吾尔 in pinyin: wéiwúěr) are a Turkic ethnic group of people living in northwestern China (mainly in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, where they are the dominant ethnic group together with Han people), Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. ... For the language spoken by this ethnic group, see Uyghur language. ...

The imperial forces were helped by internal dissent in the newly-formed dynasty. An Lushan was killed by his son, An Qingxu, not long after his ascent to the throne. (An's virulent paranoia posed too much of a threat to his entourage.) His son was then killed by a subordinate, general Shi Siming. Shi recaptured the city of Luoyang soon after. However, Shi Siming was killed in turn by his son, Shi Chaoyi. By this time, it was clear that the new dynasty would not last long, and generals and soldiers alike started to defect to the Tang army. Finally, after Luoyang was taken by the Tang forces for the second time, Shi Chaoyi committed suicide (in 763), thus ending the 8 year long rebellion. Events Ciniod succeeds Bridei V as king of the Picts. ...

Death toll, legacy, and historical implications

The rebellion spanned the reigns of three emperors, starting during the reign of Xuanzong and ending during the reign of Daizong. The toll of dead and missing, including those caused by suppression and famine, is estimated at up to 36 million (sources), which would be 2/3 of the total taxroll population at the time. Numerically, this was the highest toll for any event for nearly 1200 years, until World War II surpassed it with over 62 million deaths. Emperor Tang Xuanzong (唐玄宗) (685 - 762), born Li Longji (李隆基), was the sixth emperor of the Tang dynasty of China reigining from 712 to 756. ... Emperor Tang Daizong (代宗) (726-779, r. ... A death toll is the number of dead as a result of war, violence, accident, natural disaster, extreme weather, or disease. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

The rebellion greatly weakened the centralized bureaucracy of the Tang Dynasty. Virtually autonomous provinces and ad hoc financial organizations arose, reducing the influence of the regular bureaucracy in Chang'an.^[1] The Tang Dynasty's desire for peace after this turbulent period also resulted in the pardoning of many rebels. Indeed, some were even given their own garrisons to command. Economic control of the Northeast region became intermittent, and the emperor became only a sort of puppet, set to do the bidding of the strongest garrison. In addition, by borrowing troops from neighbouring tribes, the Tang Dynasty greatly lowered its prestige in the eyes of the barbarians, who eventually began raiding Tang settlements again. For other uses, see Changan (disambiguation). ...

In addition to being politically and economically detrimental, the An Shi rebellion also damaged the intellectual culture of the Tang Dynasty. Many intellectuals had their careers interrupted, giving them time to ponder the causes of the unrest. They lost faith in themselves, concluding that a lack of moral seriousness in intellectual culture had been the cause of the rebellion.^[2]

Thus, the Anshi Rebellion is regarded by most Chinese historians to be the turning point in the Tang Dynasty's fortunes. For the next 144 years, the Tang ceased to exist in all but name, a far cry from the glory days under Taizong and Xuanzong. Emperor Taizong of Tang China (January 23, 599–July 10, 649), born Li Shimin (李世民 Lĭ ShìMín), was the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China from 626 to 649. ...

See also

• Du Fu. The great poet had finally attained a minor appointment in the imperial bureaucracy when the rebellion broke out. His subsequent poetry is a primary source of information about the massive upheavals of the period.

Du Fu (Chinese: ; Wade-Giles: Tu Fu, 712–770) was a prominent Chinese poet of the Tang Dynasty. ...

External links

• Tang (618 - 907) "The An Lushan Rebellion had its roots in the behavior of one of the great emperors of Chinese history, Xuanzong. Until he fell in love with a young concubine named Yang Guifei, he had been a great ruler, and had brought the Tang to its height of prosperity and grandeur. But he became so infatuated with Yang that the administration of the government soon fell into decay, which was made no better by the way that Yang took advantage of her power to stuff high administrative positions with her corrupt cronies. She also took under her wing a general named An Lushan, who quickly accumulated power."

• chinaknowledge.de "From the first years of the reign period Tianbao 天寶 "Heavenly jewels" (741-757) on, Li Linfu 李林甫 served as chancellor. After Li Linfu's death in 752, his opponent Yang Guozhong 楊國忠 became counsellor-in-chief and dominated the court until the rebellion of An Lushan. An Lushan himself, half of Turkish origin, had been installed as military commissioner of Pinglu 平盧, Fanyang 范陽 (around modern Beijing) and Hebei 河北, three regions in the northeast, where he was responsible of the military and civil administration of one of the most important economic zones in Tang China."

References

1. ^ DeBlasi, Anthony (2001). "Striving for Completeness: Quan Deyu and the Evolution of the Tang Intellectual Mainstream". Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies 61 (1): 5. doi:10.2307/3558586. 
2. ^ DeBlasi, Anthony (2001) p. 7

• E. G. Pulleyblank, The Background of the Rebellion of An Lu-Shan, London: Oxford University Press (1955)
• E. G. Pulleyblank, "The An Lu-Shan Rebellion and the Origins of Chronic Militarism in Late T'ang China", in Perry & Smith, Essays on T'ang Society, Leiden: E. J. Brill (1976)
• Denis Twitchett (ed.), The Cambridge History of China, Volume 3, Sui and T'ang China, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (1979)