一、文学艺术

从清康熙年间编纂的《全唐诗》来看，作家二千二百多人，作品四万八千多首，唐朝诗人之众，诗作之繁，实为中国诗史之奇观。唐诗不仅数量众多，而且艺术精湛、水平极高，《全唐诗》开篇就是唐太宗的《帝京篇十首》，诗作气势宏大，使人感到他“心随朗日高，志与秋霜洁”（《经破薛举战地》）的高尚节操和远大抱负。随后群臣的诗作也展现出阔大的气势和胸襟，如大臣杨师道的“爽气长空净，高吟觉思宽”（《初秋夜坐应诏》）等，刚健质朴的贞观诗风影响着后世。

盛唐时期名家辈出，宛如星汉：“诗仙”李白；“诗圣”杜甫；以写自然风景著称的孟浩然、王维；边塞诗人高适、岑参；“诗家夫子”王昌龄；经历了盛唐的成熟，中晚唐时期众多的诗人代表者白居易等。其诗作博大、雄浑、深远、超逸，无不体现着时代的风格和精神。如李白的“俱怀逸兴壮思飞，欲上青天揽明月”、杜甫的“煌煌太宗业，树立甚宏达”、王维的“江流天地外，山色有无中”……

除诗歌外，唐代散文、小说、传奇等方面也达到了相当高的成就。体现了一代文人：“济苍生”、“安社稷”的理想抱负，反映民生和揭露社会时弊的敏锐洞察力和勇气，对国家的责任感，高瞻远瞩的大眼光、大格局。

二、书法绘画

唐太宗非常重视书法，设置了弘文馆，委任书法名家担任书学博士，专门培养书法人才，并下诏京师五品以上的官员必须到弘文馆学习书法；倡导天下学习王羲之的字体，并称其“尽善尽美”，使书法正统化。 在唐太宗的影响下，唐高宗、唐中宗、唐睿宗都十分爱好和提倡书法，唐代书法水平因而达到了历朝历代的巅峰，也是我国书法史上书法家最多的一个朝代，如褚遂 良、欧阳询、虞世南、薛稷、李邕、颜真卿、柳公权、张旭等。而颜、柳、欧、褚等名家法帖，至今仍是很多书法研习者们临摹的样本。

唐代的画坛亦显示出蓬勃的活力，题材范围空前地扩大了。如 阎立本所画《太宗真容》、《凌烟阁功臣二十四人图》，图绘了开创大唐伟业的唐太宗及众臣，形象逼真传神，时人誉之为“丹青神化”。吴道子曾在长安、洛阳寺 观中作佛道壁画四百余间，神态各不相同，展现出神佛的庄严和天国圣境的光辉。他落笔一挥而就，绘画轰动长安，“立笔挥扫，势若风旋，人皆谓之神助”。他被 后世尊为“画圣”，被民间画塑匠人尊为“祖师”，足见其影响之大。

唐代的壁画和雕塑也有了高度的发展，以卓绝的造型、丰富的色彩，富丽中不失典雅，鲜明中又有沉着，呈现出一派大气雍容的风度。如敦煌莫高窟壁画中的《西方净土变》，展现出天国世界的景象，神佛、菩萨、众生，人物众多，画面宏伟，神采生动，令人敬畏与神往。

三、乐舞艺术

唐乐舞荟萃历代歌舞所长，兼收西域众多少数民族及国外之精粹，日臻极境，充份体现了盛唐时百国朝贺、民族交融的景象，是国泰民安的完美写照。 唐乐舞气势磅礴，场面壮观，集诗、词、歌、赋于吹奏弹唱；融钟、鼓、琴、瑟于轻歌曼舞；乐曲高亢悠扬，动作舒展流畅，服饰华丽多紫，堪称历代歌舞之最，成 为吸收异域优秀文化和传播中华文明的载体。唐乐舞中：继承前代的传统乐舞并加以发展的，如《九部乐》、《十部乐》中的《清商乐》；以国名、地名、族名为乐 部或舞名的，如《十部乐》中的《西凉乐》、《高丽乐》、《龟兹乐》等；唐代新创的乐舞，是音乐、舞蹈、诗歌三者结合的大型多段体乐舞套曲，如吸收传统武舞 的《破阵乐》、《大定乐》等。据《新唐书·礼乐志》记载，唐太宗时设立了十部乐，除了燕乐、清商为中原乐舞，其余四部来自唐朝境内少数民族、四部来自国 外，南至印度支那，北到撒马尔罕。

当时著名的歌舞大曲有《秦王破阵乐》，以唐太宗统一中国、功定天下为题材，表现了除奸佞、气吞万里的气势和拯民于水火的仁德，此曲当时在国外亦广为流传。西域音乐在唐也非常盛行，长安城内住有大批西域音乐家，著名的乐曲有《龟兹佛曲》等。有关民间乐舞盛况，在唐诗中也多有反映，出现了“《六幺》《水调》家家唱，《白雪》《梅花》处处吹”的局面。

四、意识形态和信仰

唐代是儒、释、道发展和弘扬的鼎盛时期，三家思想交相辉映，规范着人们的思想和行为，渗透在社会各个领域的方方面面，使社会维持较高的道德水准。唐太宗既尊崇儒学，又扶持道教和佛教。唐代有完善的祭祀天地、神明和宗庙的祭祀制度，人们敬天信神，尊道崇德，读圣贤书，以经世济民为己任。儒家的“仁者爱人”，道家的“悟道证真”，佛家的“慈悲普度”，在这些正统信仰的影响下，人们明了做人的理念，保持质朴、善良、纯真的本性，追求真理，坚定为善。

唐太宗下诏组织学者修撰了《五经正义》，使儒家经典成为唐代科举考试的标准教材，并一直沿用后世，儒家思想成为规范人们思想行为的基本准则。 唐代道家思想亦得以广泛弘扬，文人中求道访道的非常多：真率夷旷如贺知章，或翩翩欲仙如李白；在绘画上有“道释人物”一科，画家们的艺术也被人们称为有若 神助的艺术；音乐上“玄真道曲”、“大罗天曲”大盛；书法上追求“真率天然”、“禀天而自强”的境界美，看重意象，崇尚自然；名医孙思邈一生以修道和行医 济世为务，造福世人不计其数，被后世称为“孙真人”和“药王”。佛家思想传播亦规模空前，佛经翻译、传播数量巨大，人们信奉佛法，敬信神佛，深信因果而修 心向善，社会安定，民风淳朴，八方来朝，正如佛经所述：“佛所行处，国邑丘聚，靡不蒙化。天下和顺，日月清明。风雨以时，灾厉不起。国丰民安，兵戈无用。 崇德兴仁，务修礼让。国无盗，无有冤枉。强不凌弱，各得其所。”

高僧玄奘法师以慈悲为怀，立志拜佛取经以济众生，远赴西域印度十七年，取回六百五十七部佛经，并在长安慈恩寺将其全部译成中文。唐太宗赞其壮举，对其翻译、广传佛经给予大力帮助和扶植，并为译经作序《大唐三藏圣教序》。此序文气势开阔，文笔典雅，从天地阴阳、四时变化述及显像与无形，宏观与微观，再述及佛家教化之功能，赞扬玄奘法师拜佛求经之壮举，“松风水月未足比其清华，仙露明珠讵能方其朗润”、“方翼兹经流施，将日明而无穷；斯福遐敷，与乾坤而永大”。

五、对外文化交流

唐太宗提出“柔怀万国”的睦邻友好政策，贞观之治为邻近列国所仰慕，和中国有使节往来的国家和部落已经超过了三百个， 于是朝廷设立鸿胪寺、典客署和礼宾院等外事机构，专门接待外宾。亚洲、非洲许多国家纷派使节，而有“万国遣使”的盛况。唐很多措施许多国家甚至是照搬过去 直接来用。许多外国的王侯、使臣、留学生、艺人、僧侣都来到唐朝，长安成为当时世界上最大的国际都会，国子监成为世界上最可观的高等学府。仅日本一国先后 十九次派出的遣唐使，就有五千人以上。其中随团前来的留唐学生大多被唐朝友好地接纳到唐朝最高学府国子监学习，学习数年毕业后或在唐朝官府工作或返国将汉 文化传授于国。僧侣们则入住寺院，潜心钻研佛经。有的国家还礼请中国派人去传授文化，如高僧鉴真携带佛像、佛经六次东渡日本，在日本弘扬佛法与盛唐文化， 为中日文化交流作出了卓越的贡献。

综上所述，唐代文化不仅以辉煌的成就使华夏文明璀璨夺目，而且以深刻的内涵、强大的力度远播世界，使唐代文化成为向周边国家和地区辐射的文化源地，在世界文化史上映照古今。唐文化是中华民族史册上一幅亮丽的历史画卷，它是华夏儿女的骄傲和自豪！人们怀念和向往记忆中永远清晰的盛世天朝，无限景仰唐太宗的正义、仁爱和宽广的胸怀。

(Clearwisdom.net) The Tang Dynasty is considered a golden age in Chinese history, a time when China was the largest and strongest nation in the world. The apex of the Tang Dynasty refers to the time between the "Reign of Zhen Guan" (i.e., the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang) and the "Reign of Kai Yuan" (i.e. the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang.) During this period, China enjoyed a moral political system and flourished in all aspects including the economy, society, as well as literature and the arts.

Why was this so? It was because Emperor Taizong of Tang and his successors had caring and loving hearts for the people. They appointed virtuous and capable people to important positions, and were able to accept suggestions and even criticism from their appointees. Although supreme as an emperor, Taizong was humble, respectful, and tolerant. He even appointed those who had opposed him to important positions. Taizong had always been diligent and had lofty goals. Thus, he was not only the founder of the Tang Dynasty, but also a role model for future emperors.

The unique character of Tang can be summarized as "having an open and broad mind, combining the very best of all." It is precisely this spirit that forged this culturally diverse and splendid period in Chinese history.

I. Literature and the Arts

"The Complete Tang Poems," compiled during the reign of Emperor Kang Xi of the Qing Dynasty, is a collection of more than 48,000 poems written by over 2,200 poets. The number of accomplished poets and the diversity of their poetry was a shining star in the history of Chinese literature. The poems written during the Tang Dynasty were not only great in number, but were also high in artistic value.

The opening piece of "The Complete Tang Poems" was Taizong's ten poems of "The Imperial Capital." "My heart rose with the sun in clear sky; my aspiration as pure as the autumn chrysanthemum." (From "Re-visiting the Battlefield where I Defeated Xue Ju") Xue Ju was a warlord at the end of the Sui Dynasty. These pieces had an imposing spirit, which allowed the readers to experience the author's lofty realm and high ambitions.

The ensuing poems by the officials in Taizong's royal court also manifested open and broad vision. For example, high-ranking official Yang Shidao wrote in his poem "Waiting to See His Majesty in Early Autumn:" "In the clean air and clear sky, I felt my mind was broadened while reciting a poem." The upright, pure, and simple character of poems during the Reign of Zhen Guan had quite an impact on future generations.

The golden time of the Tang Dynasty produced countless renowned poets: "God of Poetry" Li Bai, "Saint of Poetry" Du Fu, Meng Haoran and Wang Wei who were both famous for poems describing natural scenery, Gao Shi and Cen Shen whose poems were mostly about life in border areas, "the Poetry of Confucius" Wang Changling, and so on. In the later years, Bai Juyi was typical of many poets in the mid-to-late Tang Dynasty. Their poems are profound, imposing, and far-reaching; they transcend the mundane and embody the spirit of the Tang Dynasty. "(My heart is so) inspired by lofty aspirations, as if we were about to fly to the blue sky to pluck the moon." This poem, written by Li Bai, is just one example of their skill with words.

In addition to poetry, Tang style essays, novels, and tales of marvels also reached a very high artistic level. Scholars of the Tang Dynasty wrote about people's lives and exposed the dark side of society, demonstrated acute insight, courage, sense of responsibility, great foresight, and broad vision. Between the lines we are able to see their high ambition of "saving the multitudes of people, and maintaining the peace and prosperity of society."

II. Calligraphy and Painting

Taizong paid great attention to calligraphy. He established Hongwen Palace and appointed renowned calligraphers to teach students. He issued an order that all officials whose rank was over the fifth grade must go to Hongwen Palace to study calligraphy. Taizong praised the calligraphy of Wang Xizhi, one of the greatest calligraphers, as "perfect in terms of both virtue and art," and advocated Wang's style of calligraphy. Calligraphy was thus on an orthodox path. Under the influence of Taizong, the later emperors such as Gaozong and Zhongzong also loved and advocated good calligraphy. As a result, calligraphy reached its peak during the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty also produced the largest number of calligraphers among all of the dynasties. For example, Ouyang Xun, Yu Shinan, Yan Zhenqing, and Liu Gongquan just to name a few. Their works still serve as prime examples for calligraphy lovers to emulate.

The painting circle was very active during the Tang Dynasty, and the range of subjects was broadened like never before.

"A True Portrait of Taizong" and "The Twenty-Four Officials of Great Merit" by painter Yan Liben looked true to life and vividly represented the images and expressions of Taizong and his officials, whose great feats laid the foundation for the prosperity of Tang. Yan was therefore acclaimed "a god-like painter."

Another painter Wu Daozi made over 400 Buddhist and Taoist mural paintings in temples at Chang'an and Luoyang. Each Buddhist and Taoist figure was different from the other; moreover, his paintings fully displayed the mighty dignity of Buddhas and deities, and the splendor of paradises. He was able to finish a painting with one flourish of the brush, and his paintings awed the entire Chang'an city.

Later generations respected him as the "Saint of Painting" and described his work as follows: "Waving the brush as a swirl of wind, as if a god is helping him." Painters and sculptors worshipped him as the "Founding Master." He was and remains quite influential.

Mural painting and sculpture also made great progress during the Tang Dynasty. They had outstanding composition and rich colors, sumptuous yet elegant, bright yet calm. They were truly magnificent and graceful. For example, "The Western Pure Land," one of the paintings in the Mogao Caves of Dunhuang, displayed the magnificent scene of a heavenly paradise with a multitude of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and sentient beings, each with a radiant look and vivid expression; it is truly awe-inspiring and enchanting.

III. Music and Dance

Tang era music and dance used the best movements of previous generations, and adopted the best from the many minorities as well as foreign nationalities in the west. The music and dance are a true reflection of a peaceful and prosperous society with hundreds of nations and a variety of nationalities in perfect harmony.

Tang music and dance are grand and magnificent. Poetry and prose are compiled into songs and odes; the instruments were very diverse including the zither, Chinese harp, and drums; the dances were graceful and smooth; the costumes were colorful and diverse. Among the Tang music and dance there was "Qingshang Music," which included traditional music starting from as far back as the Han Dynasty; there was also "Northwest Land Music" and "Goryeo Music," which were named after the places they originated.

The original pieces compiled during the Tang Dynasty were a combination of music, dance, and poetry, often in the form of large-scale, multi-section presentations. One of the most famous productions created during the Tang Dynasty was "Li Shimin Defeating Liu Wuzhou," a grand and majestic showcase of music and dance that described and praised Taizong's virtuous feat of eliminating a vicious enemy, unifying the nation, and bringing peace to the people. The music became very popular, and was even widely spread in countries outside of China.

IV. Ideology and Beliefs

Tang Dynasty is a period when Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism continued to develop to their peak in popularity. The teachings of these three schools helped to regulate people's ideology and conduct, and permeated all aspects of society. As a result, the entire society was able to maintain a high moral standard. The Tang Dynasty thus reached a glorious level.

Taizong not only respected Confucianism, but also supported Taoism and Buddhism. During the Tang Dynasty, there was a complete system of worshipping heaven and earth, as well as worshiping deities. People respected heaven and believed in God. Scholars respected Taoism and promoted virtuous conduct, taking the well-being of the people and prosperity of society as their responsibility. Confucianism teaches peoples: "A Benevolent Person Loves Others;" the Taoist school teaches "Enlighten to Tao and Validate the Truth;" the Buddhist school teaches "Offering salvation with Compassion." These orthodox beliefs helped people understand the doctrines of life, so as to maintain their pure and benevolent nature. People of that time strived to seek truth and firmly maintain a virtuous heart.

Taizong issued an order to have some scholars compile the book "Five Classics of Confucianism," which became the standard textbook for students to study in preparation for the imperial examination. It remained a standard textbook for later generations as well. Confucianism then became the basic principles to discipline people's minds and conduct.

Taoist teaching was also widely promoted during the Tang Dynasty. Many scholars, such as He Zhizhang and Li Bai, sought the Tao. In fine arts, there was a special study dedicated to Taoist and Buddhist figures. Musicians compiled grand Taoist music pieces. The renowned Chinese Medicine doctor Sun Simiao was a Taoist cultivator whose lifetime endeavor was the cultivation of Tao and providing medical treatment for people. He saved the lives of countless people. Later generations worshipped him as "Taoist True Man Sun" and "the King of Medicine."

The Buddhist doctrine was also widely promoted. Large numbers of Buddhist scriptures were being translated and spread during this time. People believed in Buddha Dharma, and believed in karmic relationships. They cultivated the heart and strived to be compassionate. Society was in great peace and people's minds were pure and kind.

Accomplished monk Xuanzang, with his compassionate heart for all, was determined to go to India to obtain some Buddhist scriptures. He spent 17 years making a long and arduous journey to India and back, and returned with 657 scriptures. Upon his return, he translated all of the scriptures into Chinese at Ci'en Temple in Chang'an. Taizong greatly acclaimed the monk's feat and gave him tremendous support. Moreover, Taizong personally wrote the foreword for Xuanzang's translation collections. It began with an exposition on heaven and earth, yin and yang, transformation of the four seasons, the visible and the intangible, macroscopic and microscopic, then transitioned to the power of Buddhist teachings, and praised the incredible feat of seeking the Buddhist scriptures. The foreword was majestic in its momentum, yet elegant in its literary style.

V. Cultural Exchange with Neighboring Countries

Taizong proposed and adopted a friendly foreign policy: "Gently Embracing Thousands of Nations." The Reign of Zhen Guan was greatly admired by neighboring countries; over 300 countries and tribes regularly sent diplomatic envoys to China. The royal Tang court therefore set up numerous organizations to host foreign visitors and take care of bilateral relationships. Many countries in Asia and Africa sent envoys to China. Other countries adopted many of the policies of the Tang Dynasty. Among those who went to the capital Chang'an from abroad to learn from Tang culture were members of royal families, envoys, students, artists, and monks. Chang'an became the largest international capital of the world at that time. The Guozijian (Central Academy of Feudalist China) was the most acclaimed academy in the world. Japan had sent only 19 groups of envoys to China, totaling over 5,000 people.

Students from overseas were admitted to Tang's highest educational institution Guozijian. After several years of study, the students might stay to work in an official capacity in China, or go back to their home countries to spread Han culture to their countrymen. Monks from other countries resided in temples, and worked hard to study the Buddhist scriptures. Some countries invited accomplished persons in China to teach in their countries. For example, Monk Jianzhen went to Japan six times, bringing Buddha statues and Buddhist scriptures to Japan and promoting Buddhism as well as Tang culture to Japan. He thereby made a significant contribution to the cultural exchange between Japan and China.

The Tang culture has glorious achievements that will shine forever in China's civilization. It has also become a treasure for the entire world with its profound substance and great influence on neighboring countries. It is a most splendid scroll in the annals of history. It will forever remain Chinese people's pride and glory. The prosperous, heaven-like kingdom and Taizong's upright, benevolent, and broad heart will never fade from people's memories.

In today's China, the Chinese communist party has distorted traditional moral values and traditional culture. The "Party Culture" has infiltrated people's minds and is characterized by "deceit, evil, and violence," thus taking people to a dangerous state of complete moral collapse.

There is a way out. Those who firmly believe in truth and uphold moral values and justice, are the hope of our nation.