Political Thought Of The Emperor Period: Between Ideology And Politics

The period of Tang Xuan-zong (712A.D.—756A.D.) was the golden age in the Tang Dynasty, which showing double features, on the one hand, experiencing the socio-political and economic development in the early of the Tang dynasty nearly a hundred years, political systems of the country tend to become mature, economy in the Tang dynasty had moved ahead as a whole, they could borrowed from successful experiences and pattern of "Zhen Guan Rule". On the other hand, after the Revolution of Wu Zhou, the whole country had been in a state of political ferment during emperor Zhongzong and Ruizong ruling, officialdom corruptted, social governance lost its order, the civilization of Li and Yue were ignored, there seemed much confusion of ideas. Therefore, summarizing and reflectting the theory of governing the cuntry and political practice in the late of Sui and in the early of the Tang Dynasty more than100years was nessecery, as well as studying and analysising those of the major topic of the times in the political life was faced with since emperor Tang Xuan-zong ruled, reflectting on the current political affairs, it was based on the interaction of the political demand and ideal development, bureaucratic groups in the political blocs as well as a group of believers and scholars in this period were focused on how to rule a country and stabilize centralization, and how to establish a new governing concepts, in order to study theoretically how to make their political model of the ideal society come true, and make their Country stronger. Focusing on how to achieve ideal society, the bureaucratic represents such as Yao Chong, Song Jing, Zhang Yue, Zhang Jiu-ling, and a group of scholars and believers of Confucianism and Taoism such as Wu Jing, SiMa Cheng-zhen, Wu Jun, Li Quan put forward political ideas one after another, for example, they conceive how to select and use talents; how to realize effective goverment by a series of measures of Li and Morality as well as Political ruling and Penalty, how to treat the relationships between Dao of Heaven and Dao of Human; how to Clean up government, advocating filial piety in the whole society and changing filial morality into loyalty in order to form a harmonious and orderly social order; and how to handle the relationship between China and foreign countries to ensure the security and stability of the border. Studying and discussing these above issues, which constituted the new constents of political thoughts in the period of Tang Xuan-zong.Consisting with these movement and change of the gravity of ideological and theoretical research, look from whole, the interaction of politics and thoughts in this period, which showing the following dynamic:When Tang Xuan-zong came into power just now, the country had just emerged from long political upheaval in the later of Wu Zhou as well as in the reign of Empeor Zhongzong and Ruizong, which policy could be choiced had become a pressing matter at this time. The political practice of deceased emperor in the early of the Tang Dynasty offered two kinds of mode about basic national policies for him, that was the "less-action" and "more-action".In the beginning of Kai Yuan, with handover of the power, Emperor Xuanzong’s choice about political line had changed from negating and sublating "the Story of Zetian" into inheriting "the Story of Zhenguan". At the same time, in view of the fact that policy changes of three religions caused to biases in buildding temples more than, depletion of storehouse and the shortage of labors in the late of Wu Zhou, and restoring and maintaining political needs of Li Tang ruling, Xuanzong began to put his vision to the traditional Confucian’s moral obligations and preachings, to explore how to deal with the relationships among Confucianism,Buddhism and Taoism again, he made the order of their development adjustment and layouts on this basis. On the one hand, when he proclaimed himself emperor at the beginning, in the course of searching for new strategy of managing affairs, Xuanzong had been awared clearly that Confucian thoughts had still irreplaceable role in maintainning his ruling, and began to restore the orthodoxy of confucianism again. On the other hand, it had caused to thin down the population and economic breakdown nearly by maladministration in the final phase of Wu Zhou, which forced him to come back to Quietism as well as Let the people rest. So Tang Xuan-zong admired ruling the country by virtue and a policy of benevolence of Confucianism as well as Taoist Quietism as his strategies in his early days. Although advocating Confucianism and Taoism, he had suppressed the development of Buddhism in the early of Kai Yuan, he could still persist in ideological and cultural policies of the coexistence of three religions in the Tang Dynasty for the edification of the masses.The country got stronger in the middle and late of Kai Yuan, however, the emperor Xuanzong became older. With the instinctive fear of death and the desire to ever-young, he put his hopes in Dan medicines, worshippment to the fairies and the belief of Taoism, he had the frantic worship of Taoism, his structure of political thoughts basing on the previous pattern of the coexistence of three religions had changed from Confucianism and Taoism supplementary thoughts into Daoism developing and flourishing and Confucianism declining, and Taoism developed firstly. Due to gradually becoming extravagance in his older age, he wearied of the affairs of the state, implemented so-called a policy of "The highest Interaction", allowed Li Lin-fu and Yang Guo-zhong handled his duties, it caused that court discipline was in great disorder, and Political corruption, when the equal-field system, rent-yung-diao system, the military system such as Fu Bing system, as well as the political system such as the prime minister system gradually corruptted and collapsed during the Tianbao reign of the Tang Dynasty, its political and social basis began to shake up, the force of social grassroots was not be stabled, and eventually caused the Tang Dynasty to decline, resulting in undergoing rapid and drastic society unrest of "An Shi Rebellion ".Discussing on the important political issues of statesmen,thinkers and scholars as well as a group of believers talked how to govern the country at this time, analysising their views about how to rule the country and people, we can understand their own mind experience and changes of political thoughts, and interpreted social and historical reasons from prosperity to decline in the Tang Dynasty, there had certain important references for us.