solarz
Brigadier
The Han and Tang dynasties were both "golden ages" of Chinese civilization, both regional "superpowers" militarily and economically, and both were extremely influential culturally.
However, between the end of the Han dynasty and the beginning of the Tang dynasty lies almost 400 years of "lost history" (220 AD to 618 AD). We are most familiar with only the beginning and the end of those "lost centuries": the Three Kingdoms period (220-280) and the Sui dynasty (581-618). That still leaves about 300 years of what I would term as China's "Dark Age".
This period is characterized by fragmentation, short lived dynasties, and almost constant war that rivals the Warring States period. The famous Battle of Fei River is from this age. The King of the North, Fu Jian, amassed an enormous army of northern "barbarians" to invade the weakened Han kingdom of the South (East Jin). The East Jin army was literally outnumbered 10 to 1, but by some miracle, managed to completely obliterate Fu Jian's 800,000-strong army.
Some historians believe that had Fu Jian won the battle, China might have been united 200 years earlier. Personally, I disagree with that assessment, as the fact that Fu Jian's "empire" collapsed after this single defeat shows he did not have the necessary structure for a lasting empire. In comparison, the short-lived Sui launched 3 campaigns against Goguryeo where they lost millions of men, and the imperial power still survived. The Tang dynasty was literally able to attrition Goguryeo to destruction.
In any case, even if Fu Jian might not have been a good candidate, I have to wonder why no one else was able to rise to the task of unification until the Sui Empire? Sure, the Warring States period lasted longer (if we count the Spring and Autumn period), but that was on the basis of several large, stable states that existed for centuries. After the Sui dynasty, I don't think China ever experienced an age of fragmentation that lasted as long.
So what do you think were some of the factors that prevented China from being unified for 300 years?
However, between the end of the Han dynasty and the beginning of the Tang dynasty lies almost 400 years of "lost history" (220 AD to 618 AD). We are most familiar with only the beginning and the end of those "lost centuries": the Three Kingdoms period (220-280) and the Sui dynasty (581-618). That still leaves about 300 years of what I would term as China's "Dark Age".
This period is characterized by fragmentation, short lived dynasties, and almost constant war that rivals the Warring States period. The famous Battle of Fei River is from this age. The King of the North, Fu Jian, amassed an enormous army of northern "barbarians" to invade the weakened Han kingdom of the South (East Jin). The East Jin army was literally outnumbered 10 to 1, but by some miracle, managed to completely obliterate Fu Jian's 800,000-strong army.
Some historians believe that had Fu Jian won the battle, China might have been united 200 years earlier. Personally, I disagree with that assessment, as the fact that Fu Jian's "empire" collapsed after this single defeat shows he did not have the necessary structure for a lasting empire. In comparison, the short-lived Sui launched 3 campaigns against Goguryeo where they lost millions of men, and the imperial power still survived. The Tang dynasty was literally able to attrition Goguryeo to destruction.
In any case, even if Fu Jian might not have been a good candidate, I have to wonder why no one else was able to rise to the task of unification until the Sui Empire? Sure, the Warring States period lasted longer (if we count the Spring and Autumn period), but that was on the basis of several large, stable states that existed for centuries. After the Sui dynasty, I don't think China ever experienced an age of fragmentation that lasted as long.
So what do you think were some of the factors that prevented China from being unified for 300 years?
