Li Longji

Life and times

1. 685 CEBornTang
2. 677Zhaorong Drafts Imperial EdictsTook partSummoned by Wu Zetian at fourteen, Shangguan Wan'er came to draft palace edicts; as Zhaorong under Emperor Zhongzong she urged him to enlarge the Xiuwen Hall academy, and she judged the courtiers' poems at Kunming Pool.
   1. Shangguan Wan'er's Edicts and Collected Works709age 24Under Zhongzong Shangguan Wan'er held sole charge of edicts; she was killed in Li Longji's coup of 710, and after he became Emperor Xuanzong he had her writings collected in twenty juan.
3. 713Reign of KaiyuanTook partage 28Early in his reign, Xuanzong appointed Yao Chong and Song Jing, reformed administration, and fostered the prosperity associated with Kaiyuan.
   1. Kaiyuan Peak Prosperity of High TangEmperor Xuanzong & Chancellors Reaching High Tang Apex
   2. Tang Xuanzong Fengshan at Mount Taic. 725age 40Emperor Xuanzong of Tang performed the Fengshan sacrifices at the peak of the Kaiyuan era, calligraphing the colossal Monument to Mount Tai.
   3. Emperor Xuanzong Permits Hanshi Tomb Visits732age 47In 732 Emperor Xuanzong permitted tomb visits at Hanshi and wrote the rite into the ritual code.
4. 714Maritime Silk Road FlourishingTook partage 29Establishing maritime customs in Guangzhou, inaugurating the flourishing era of Indian Ocean trade.
5. 740Rainbow Skirt and Feathered RobeIn powerage 55Yang Yuhuan became an emblem of Tianbao court culture as court music and the Nishang Yuyi tradition flourished; after the An Lushan crisis, Mawei and Bai Juyi's Chang Hen Ge carried the story into lasting literary memory.
   1. Nishang Yuyi Performed at Pear Gardenc. 740Around 740–754, the Nishang Yuyi repertory took court form in Pear Garden performance; Yang was celebrated for embodying its dance, while its origin remains a received Western-Liang and Xuanzong-revision tradition.
   2. Investiture of Yang Guifei at Huaqing745age 60In 745, Yang was invested as guifei; Xuanzong's repeated visits to Huaqing made the hot-spring court a defining Tianbao setting.
   3. Changsheng Vow and Memory of Guifei756age 71The separation at Mawei in 756 turned Tianbao splendor into tragedy; Bai Juyi's 806 Chang Hen Ge later carried the court story into lasting literary memory.
6. 755An Lushan RebellionTook partage 70After An Lushan's revolt, rebel armies seized Luoyang and Chang'an. Eight years of war weakened Tang finances and central authority; the Mawei crisis and postwar military governorships marked a lasting imperial rupture.
   1. Li Linfu Monopolizes the Chancellorshipc. 734age 49Chief minister from 734 to his death in 752, Li Linfu drove out rivals, was said to have honey in his mouth and a sword in his belly, and urged the frontier policy that raised An Lushan.
   2. Geshu Han Takes Shibao Fortress749age 64In 749 Geshu Han, on Xuanzong's orders, took the Tibetan-held Shibao Fortress with over 60,000 men, capturing 400 defenders at the cost of tens of thousands of Tang dead.
   3. An Lushan Captures the Two Capitalsc. 755Military governor An Lushan launched the catastrophic rebellion that captured the twin capitals before loyalist generals Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi turned the tide.
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      1. Mawei Mutiny and Death of Yang756age 71In 756, a mutiny at Mawei during Xuanzong's westward flight killed Yang Guozhong and compelled Yang Guifei's death.
7. 756Tong Pass Breaks and Chang'an Fallsage 71In 756 Tang forces lost Tong Pass and Chang'an fell during the An Lushan Rebellion, forcing the emperor westward.
8. 762 CEDied