Modern Social Science Research

Compared with other historical periods, the Tang Dynasty is conventionally divided into four phases—Early, High, Middle, and Late Tang. Within this Four-Tang framework, the concept of the "High Tang" stands out as particularly ambiguous and special. Its often framed as an emotive label for a "golden age," has historically defied precise temporal boundaries. The modern understanding of the "High Tang"—including its time scope—is a poetic construct defined by Song scholars. By employing the paradigm of historical periodization, its literary aesthetic core is concealed, transforming it into a tool of cultural discipline that, through the mediation of poetry, has exerted a profound influence on later understandings of Tang history. The "High Tang" has always been controversial about the correlation between political attributes and literary attributes, has rendered it an inescapable meta-question in both Tang poetic studies and Tang historiography. This study systematically traces the evolution of the term "High Tang" from its usage in the Tang to its canonization in the Song, analyzing the formative logic of Song scholars "High Tang" discourse. Ultimately, the paper seeks to transcend later-period frameworks by returning to Tang primary texts, aiming to reconstruct historical and cultural perspectives rooted in Tang literatis own worldview.

High Tang; An Lushan Rebellion; Historical narrative; Tang Jian tradition; Yan Yu