--- product_id: 5992100 title: "China’s Cosmopolitan Empire: The Tang Dynasty (History of Imperial China)" price: "$67.22" currency: USD in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.us/products/5992100-china-s-cosmopolitan-empire-the-tang-dynasty-history-of-imperial store_origin: US region: United States of America --- # China’s Cosmopolitan Empire: The Tang Dynasty (History of Imperial China) **Price:** $67.22 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** China’s Cosmopolitan Empire: The Tang Dynasty (History of Imperial China) - **How much does it cost?** $67.22 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.us](https://www.desertcart.us/products/5992100-china-s-cosmopolitan-empire-the-tang-dynasty-history-of-imperial) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description The Tang dynasty is often called China’s “golden age,” a period of commercial, religious, and cultural connections from Korea and Japan to the Persian Gulf, and a time of unsurpassed literary creativity. Mark Lewis captures a dynamic era in which the empire reached its greatest geographical extent under Chinese rule, painting and ceramic arts flourished, women played a major role both as rulers and in the economy, and China produced its finest lyric poets in Wang Wei, Li Bo, and Du Fu. The Chinese engaged in extensive trade on sea and land. Merchants from Inner Asia settled in the capital, while Chinese entrepreneurs set off for the wider world, the beginning of a global diaspora. The emergence of an economically and culturally dominant south that was controlled from a northern capital set a pattern for the rest of Chinese imperial history. Poems celebrated the glories of the capital, meditated on individual loneliness in its midst, and described heroic young men and beautiful women who filled city streets and bars. Despite the romantic aura attached to the Tang, it was not a time of unending peace. In 756, General An Lushan led a revolt that shook the country to its core, weakening the government to such a degree that by the early tenth century, regional warlordism gripped many areas, heralding the decline of the Great Tang. Review: Great General Resource on the Great Tang - This was the first book in the History of Imperial China series that I've read, and if the other volumes live up to the informative and comprehensive quality of this one, I can see this series perhaps supplanting the unwieldy Cambridge series. Mr. Lewis provides a surprisingly detailed survey of one of the most interesting Chinese dynasties in about 300 pages (plus appendices, notes and index). No small feat, considering the vast wealth of in-depth scholarly work available regarding the Tang. That is not to say, of course, that this is a merely a brief skimming of the highlights; to the contrary, Mr. Lewis gives us a wonderful grounding in the geographic and political climate before taking us deep into the streets of Chang'an and Luoyang, to the countryside of the Central Plain, or to the mountain retreats of the eremitic Tang poets. Ample citations of Tang prose and poetry, as well as cultural anecdotes, are present to give the reader a learned picture of what it meant to be a student of the 'jinshi' examinations, a singer in the pleasure quarter, or a court poet. This is, however, a scholarly work through and through. Well cited and referenced, the information given is well-chosen and aimed squarely at those seeking to learn about the Great Tang, as opposed to being simply entertained by its many colorful nuances. Mr. Lewis is a strong writer for this kind of book, and his prose is easy to follow and to the point. This may not be the best choice for bedtime reading, but it is accessible to all readers, especially those new to the subject. I highly recommend this book to any beginning student of Chinese imperial history, and to any reader interested in learned writing on one of the most important eras in one of the most important civilizations in the world. Review: The Empire Strikes Back - The emergence of the Tang Dynasty in 618 followed the Yellow River in northern China from present-day Xian across Shaanxi's plateau to the east, and westward through Gansu's mountain corridor through the deserts of Xinjiang. It was a tremendous expansion that rivaled and surpassed the Han Dynasty. At its greatest extent, it reached parts of Vietnam and influenced Korea and Japan's development. The rise was abruptly curtailed in 756 by the An Lushan rebellion in the west, which led to civil unrest and border wars until the Tang's collapse in 907. During the decline of the empire frequent fighting with Tibetans, Uighurs and Arabs reversed Tang pre-eminence among bordering kingdoms. After this period, China's center of gravity would shift permanently south to the Yangtze river valley. This volume of Harvard's recent six-part history of Imperial China is authored by Mark Lewis, who also wrote the two earlier volumes on the Qin-Han and Southern-Northern dynasties. Lewis is a professor of history at Stanford University in California. The high standard of writing in the series is maintained here. His first book on the Han won a prize from the Belles-Lettres Academy of France. As with the other volumes, this is a hybrid of chronological and thematic history. After the basic narrative of the dynastic foundation, rebellion and dissolution is told, chapters on cities, countryside, family, religion, and literature follow. There is an extended look at Tang relations with the outer world. Commerce and religion on silk road routes brought conflict with Turks to the west and nomads in the north. Although written in a scholarly manner, this book may be enjoyable for a general reader. It contains enough cultural information beyond dates, places, and events to maintain interest. Compressing three centuries of civilization into three hundred pages becomes too abbreviated. I wish there were more histories of the Tang dynasty beyond the basic textbooks​. This is the best I've found, and it's very good. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #587,221 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #16 in Confucianism (Books) #295 in Chinese History (Books) #2,526 in Philosophy Movements (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.1 out of 5 stars 101 Reviews | ## Images ![China’s Cosmopolitan Empire: The Tang Dynasty (History of Imperial China) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81cnv4bU8BL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great General Resource on the Great Tang *by F***N on January 8, 2010* This was the first book in the History of Imperial China series that I've read, and if the other volumes live up to the informative and comprehensive quality of this one, I can see this series perhaps supplanting the unwieldy Cambridge series. Mr. Lewis provides a surprisingly detailed survey of one of the most interesting Chinese dynasties in about 300 pages (plus appendices, notes and index). No small feat, considering the vast wealth of in-depth scholarly work available regarding the Tang. That is not to say, of course, that this is a merely a brief skimming of the highlights; to the contrary, Mr. Lewis gives us a wonderful grounding in the geographic and political climate before taking us deep into the streets of Chang'an and Luoyang, to the countryside of the Central Plain, or to the mountain retreats of the eremitic Tang poets. Ample citations of Tang prose and poetry, as well as cultural anecdotes, are present to give the reader a learned picture of what it meant to be a student of the 'jinshi' examinations, a singer in the pleasure quarter, or a court poet. This is, however, a scholarly work through and through. Well cited and referenced, the information given is well-chosen and aimed squarely at those seeking to learn about the Great Tang, as opposed to being simply entertained by its many colorful nuances. Mr. Lewis is a strong writer for this kind of book, and his prose is easy to follow and to the point. This may not be the best choice for bedtime reading, but it is accessible to all readers, especially those new to the subject. I highly recommend this book to any beginning student of Chinese imperial history, and to any reader interested in learned writing on one of the most important eras in one of the most important civilizations in the world. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Empire Strikes Back *by D***R on November 7, 2017* The emergence of the Tang Dynasty in 618 followed the Yellow River in northern China from present-day Xian across Shaanxi's plateau to the east, and westward through Gansu's mountain corridor through the deserts of Xinjiang. It was a tremendous expansion that rivaled and surpassed the Han Dynasty. At its greatest extent, it reached parts of Vietnam and influenced Korea and Japan's development. The rise was abruptly curtailed in 756 by the An Lushan rebellion in the west, which led to civil unrest and border wars until the Tang's collapse in 907. During the decline of the empire frequent fighting with Tibetans, Uighurs and Arabs reversed Tang pre-eminence among bordering kingdoms. After this period, China's center of gravity would shift permanently south to the Yangtze river valley. This volume of Harvard's recent six-part history of Imperial China is authored by Mark Lewis, who also wrote the two earlier volumes on the Qin-Han and Southern-Northern dynasties. Lewis is a professor of history at Stanford University in California. The high standard of writing in the series is maintained here. His first book on the Han won a prize from the Belles-Lettres Academy of France. As with the other volumes, this is a hybrid of chronological and thematic history. After the basic narrative of the dynastic foundation, rebellion and dissolution is told, chapters on cities, countryside, family, religion, and literature follow. There is an extended look at Tang relations with the outer world. Commerce and religion on silk road routes brought conflict with Turks to the west and nomads in the north. Although written in a scholarly manner, this book may be enjoyable for a general reader. It contains enough cultural information beyond dates, places, and events to maintain interest. Compressing three centuries of civilization into three hundred pages becomes too abbreviated. I wish there were more histories of the Tang dynasty beyond the basic textbooks​. This is the best I've found, and it's very good. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ good *by R***T on August 7, 2022* Good --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.us/products/5992100-china-s-cosmopolitan-empire-the-tang-dynasty-history-of-imperial](https://www.desertcart.us/products/5992100-china-s-cosmopolitan-empire-the-tang-dynasty-history-of-imperial) --- *Product available on Desertcart United States of America* *Store origin: US* *Last updated: 2026-07-28*