The Tang dynasty ruled China for nearly three centuries, and its capital Chang'an may have been the world's largest city

historyWikipedia618–907 · China

The Tang dynasty ruled China for nearly three centuries, and its capital Chang'an may have been the world's largest city

the gist

The Tang dynasty ruled China from 618 to 907, with an interruption between 690 and 705. The Li family founded it after the Sui dynasty collapsed, and the first half of its rule brought stability and expanding territory that exceeded the Han dynasty. In 690 Empress Wu Zetian seized the throne and proclaimed her own Wu Zhou dynasty, the only legitimate female emperor in Chinese history. The An Lushan rebellion from 755 to 763 devastated the empire, and regional military governors weakened central control in the 9th century. The capital Chang'an, present-day Xi'an, was the world's most populous city for much of the dynasty. The Tang also left a major cultural legacy, including the golden age of poetry of Li Bai and Du Fu and the development of woodblock printing.

so what

The Tang is often seen as a high point of Chinese civilisation and of cosmopolitan culture along the Silk Road. Its political, cultural and economic influence shaped neighbours such as Japan and Korea for centuries.

fun fact

Chang'an was the world's most populous city for much of the Tang era.

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗