The founders of the Tang Dynasty adopted a compatible policy towards foreign cultures. Guard against foreigners and tolerate foreign ideas and cultures. Emperor Taizong said: "Since ancient times, China has always been the most important, and I love him as always." (Zi Jian, May 21 ST year of Zhenguan) The idea of controlling foreigners by barbarians was inherited by later generations. Until Xuanzong Dynasty, Li Hua also said: "The country and the DPRK are the same." (Li Hua's "Shouzhou Secretariat of History") This idea is reflected from state power to lifestyle.
The mentality that the founders of the Tang Dynasty regarded China as a foreigner was related to their origins. Li is a Xianbei Han Chinese. This family not only has Xianbei descent, but also lives in the north for a long time, which is deeply influenced by Hu people's culture. The integration of Han and Hu cultures in the Northern Dynasties accelerated this process in the Tang Dynasty. This ideological tendency of the ruling group in the Tang Dynasty changed after the Anshi Rebellion, and after Han Yu put forward the idea of maintaining orthodoxy, the idea of guarding against foreigners rose. The advocacy of orthodoxy may play a leading role in the re-leading of orthodoxy and the formation of introverted mentality after the Song Dynasty, but it has no practical influence on the whole social life after the middle Tang Dynasty. The blending of Chinese and foreign cultures has not declined slightly. Throughout the Tang Dynasty, the influence of foreign culture was widely accepted, which can be seen from literature and art to life interest and customs. Due to a large number of immigrants, business contacts and religious communication, the living customs and cultures of various ethnic groups and countries in the western regions have also widely influenced metropolises such as Chang 'an, Luoyang and Yangzhou, areas along the North-South Silk Road, and important maritime transportation cities such as Guangzhou. These fields, from diet, clothing, music and dance to life interest, combine Chinese and western. The marriage custom in Tang Dynasty was also influenced by the Xianbei marriage custom in Northern Dynasty. The remains of a writing tool found in Dunhuang recorded that the main ceremony of the folk wedding in the Tang Dynasty was held in the woman's home. This is different from the customs inherent in the Central Plains. What is more noteworthy is that the social status of women in the Tang Dynasty was higher, and men and women were more equal. Women are also less restrained in their behavior. This relatively open atmosphere caused by the blending of Chinese and foreign cultures is of great significance to the broadening of literary themes, the diversification of literary interests and literary styles.
Scholars in the Tang Dynasty generally held a positive and enterprising attitude towards life. The increasingly powerful national strength has opened a broad life path for literati. There are more ways for the Tang people to be officials than the previous generation. The Tang dynasty inherited the old and became more mature. The subjects offered in the Tang Dynasty are divided into regular selection and system selection. Scholars, Ming Classics, etc. 12, including seven Ming Classics; It is difficult to know the exact number, but according to the records of the Tang and Song Dynasties, there are as many as eighty or ninety species. Besides the imperial examination, there are many ways to be an official, such as entering the local Jiezhen shogunate. Multiple ways to be an official provide more opportunities for the scholars in the cold door. A group of poor scholars who are close to the broad social life entered the literary world, which made literature go out of the narrow circle of the court and go to the streets, which is also of great significance to the development of literature. Due to the strong national strength, the scholars in the Tang Dynasty had a more magnificent mind, tolerance, ambition and strong enterprising spirit. Many of them, confident and arrogant, often combine together. William Wang Biography of Old Tang Dynasty says that William Wang "has a heroic temperament ... and made a speech, comparing himself with the princes". Chen Ziang has the same spirit: "Let's look forward to tomorrow, enjoy the feast and get ready. Then take Liangchengbi and visit Hou. Otherwise, I will brush my clothes and go back to the seagull. " (Master Luoyang's answer) Li Bai is such a person who thinks highly of himself. He compared himself to Guan, Ge, Xie An, who wanted to make contributions to the world, and then retired as usual. "What do you say about fishing for weeks and hunting Qin An and Li Yuan?" Away from the eleventh brother, Pepe, thirteen trips to the Great Wall. Gao Shi, Cen Can, Wang Changling, Zuyong, etc. "Wan Li at death, once successful. Drawing into the Palace of Light "(Xia Sai Qu by Gao Shi). "My husband is not rich in his thirties. Can he keep his pen and ink inkstone all day?" (Cen Can's Yin Qishan Xiting) "Yellow sand wears shining armor in hundreds of battles, and it will not be returned until the Loulan is broken" (Wang Changling's Joining the Army). "Although no young staff member intends to become a great general, I threw away my writing brush, just like a student throwing away his hat to lasso, I challenged what might happen" (Wang Jimen of Zuyong). Du Fu should also be loyal to the monarch and compare himself with Ji and Qi. In the Tang Dynasty, scholars were very interested in fame and fortune. Although it changed after the Anshi Rebellion and gradually weakened in the late Tang Dynasty, the general trend of actively joining the WTO has not changed. This enterprising spirit is embodied in literature, which is the high-spirited mood in literature (especially poetry).
The tolerant mind and tolerant attitude towards different cultures in the Tang Dynasty created an environment conducive to cultural prosperity. Great progress has been made in history, calligraphy, painting, sculpture, music and dance.
In the early Tang Dynasty, a history museum was established to compile five histories: Liang Shu, Chen Shu, Beiqi Shu, Zhou Shu and Sui Shu. Later, the Book of Jin was revised in the name of Emperor Taizong Yu, and the History of South and the History of North were revised in the form of private officials' review. The compilation of Eight Histories has provided rich experience in compiling history. Soon Liu Zhiji's Shi Tong came out, which extensively discussed historical issues, reflecting a realistic ideological tendency. This ideological tendency is consistent with the development of literary trends. The literary trend of thought in the early Tang Dynasty gradually developed in the direction of anti-counterfeiting and truth-seeking, and gradually got rid of the influence of the style of writing in the Southern Dynasties. Historical truth-seeking and literary truth-seeking are both products of the trend of advocating truth. Historians' exposition of literary issues directly affects the trend of literature, such as Biography of Literature, Biography of Northern Qi, Biography of Wang Xin, and the wonderful literary opinions in biographies of various historical writers, which are in the same strain as the two strong poetic styles in the early Tang Dynasty, with profound ideas, far-reaching influence, skillful rhetoric and both temperament and character.
The prosperity of painting, calligraphy and sculpture in the Tang Dynasty also influenced literature. China's calligraphy has made great achievements in the Jin Dynasty. Since then, the northern dynasty has been vigorous and the southern dynasty handsome, and the Sui dynasty has gradually merged with the two powerful countries, but the law has not changed much. Great changes began to take place in the Tang Dynasty. In the early Tang Dynasty, Yu Shinan, Chu Suiliang, Xue Ji, Sun and other famous calligraphers appeared, forming another peak in the history of calligraphy in China. Although they still regard the two kings as the law, they have gradually sought change. As soon as Yan Zhenqing came out, he changed the charm of Jin people into statutes, with a dignified structure and a heavy pen, and the beauty was in it, which finally opened up a new way for the development of China's calligraphy. Zhang Xu and erotic cursive script are the most vivid manifestations of the high spirit of the Tang literati. Both of them are drunk and crazy, and the dragons and snakes are unpredictable. He's "every effort has a good side, and fighting against nature is beyond human reach" (Dou Meng's Shu Shu Fu). This free and unrestrained atmosphere in calligraphy is very similar to the spiritual outlook of poets in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, especially Li. Painting in the Tang Dynasty also entered a new period in the history of painting in China. This issue of painting has been divided into disciplines. Character painters include Yan, Wei Chiyi, Wu Daozi, Natalie and Zhou Fahe. Wu Daozi is also good at landscape painting, and Han Yun is also famous for painting cows. Landscape painters such as Li Sixun, Wang Wei, Zhang Yun and Zheng Qian. They are all famous figures in China's painting history. Painters of flowers and birds, such as horses of Cao Ba, Han Gan and Wei Yan, and flowers and birds of Bian Luan, also have a temporary name. Murals in the Tang Dynasty are the most prosperous, with paintings in houses, temples, Taoist temples, palaces, courtyards and outposts. Wu Daozi made great contributions to mural painting all his life. He painted more than 400 rooms on the walls of two temples. At that time, there were not only famous painters, but also craftsmen who painted murals, and the number was huge. When Wu Zong destroyed the law, many murals in more than 44,000 temples, Zhao Ti, Lan Ruo and other places were destroyed. The number of survivors is still considerable. Chengdu Dashengci Temple alone has 96 courtyards. By the Song Dynasty, there were 8524 murals. The high achievements of Buddhist art in the Tang Dynasty can also be seen from the Buddhist murals and statues left in various places today. The high achievements of calligraphy, painting and sculpture also affect literature, which we can see clearly from Tang poetry. There are 189 complete Tang poems written by Tang people. Many important poets, such as Li Bai, Du Fu, Wang Changling, Cen Can, Gao Shi and Wang Wei, wrote poems about painting. In the Tang dynasty, the integration of poetry and painting had a greater development. Painting theory and poetry theory blend and influence each other. Painting not only becomes the theme of poetry, but also affects the artistic expression skills of poetry. The richness and delicacy of color expression, artistic conception and vivid skills in Tang poetry are all related to the high development of painting art.
The prosperity of music and dance is also closely related to the development of literature. In the Tang Dynasty, the development of Yanle produced a new form of poetry: Ci. Yan Yue used poetry in singing, starting with quatrains, and then filling in lyrics due to the tone. In fact, ancient style can also be used for singing at that time. Poetry and music have always had a close relationship, which was further developed in the Tang Dynasty. According to statistics, there are 2,239 Yuefu poems in Yuefu Poetry Collection, of which 1754 is a chord. Among the 1 150 poets recorded in the Chronicle of Tang Poetry, 200 poets have poems related to music. There are 24 1 works about music in Quan Tang Wen (see Wei's Research on Music Culture in Tang Dynasty). Music and dance are even more involved in the whole Tang poetry. The exquisite description of music and dance in these works fully shows that the high prosperity of music and dance in Tang Dynasty has brought a very profound impact on the expansion of the field of expression of Tang poetry.