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4
Every dynasty had “frontier” issues – instabilities along borders which abutted non-Chinese
peoples – but this was especially complex during the Tang as foreign encroachments were mounting
from every border region 4 of the empire, forcing great expenditures of wealth and attention that were to
have a huge influence on every facet of Tang society. 5 One notable sector was the literary, in particular
those poets whose complex responses to the country's northern and western frontiers ranged from
imaginative musings to personal experiences with the terrain, conflicts and cultures of China's near
abroad. Given the presence of a multiplicity of non-Chinese ethnic groups and the consequent
incursions and clashes endured by inhabitants on both sides as the Tang sought to pacify, while
enlarging its borders, what would come to be read as “Tang frontier poetry” would occupy an important
position in the Chinese literary world. The plethora of military themed poems with titles such as “In the
Army” (“Congjun xing” 从 军 行 ) and “On the Frontier” (“Chu sai” 出 塞 ), poems composed by an array
of writers both associated and unassociated with frontier poetry, among whom some also had
experience serving military generals in China's border regions, is testament to the impact of the frontier
on Tang literary society. 6
Until the An Lushan rebellion 7 (Anshi zhi luan 安 史 之 乱 ) rattled the foundations of the Tang
empire, there had been a relatively long period of stability and prosperity in the country. It was during
these halcyon decades when many poets hankered to have the value of their opinions and ideas
recognized by influential officials. With the empire's domain ever increasing, the potential for fame and
4 A definition of “frontier”, one both linguistic and geographic, will follow shortly.
5 Hong Zan 洪 赞 Tangdai zhanzhengshi yanjiu 唐 代 战 争 诗 研 究 (Taipei: Wenshizhe chubanshe 文 史 哲 出 版 社 1987), p.
7.
6 Ibid., p. 83
7 The An Lushan rebellion began on December 16 th . 755 when general An Lushan revolted in response to a plot to have
him removed from power. After thirty four days of haphazard resistance, An captured Luoyang 洛 阳 , one of two capitals
of the Tang, and proclaimed himself emperor of a new, albeit ephemeral, dynasty. The rebellion was finally quashed in
early 763 after having continued under a number of An Lushan's successors. The effects of the rebellion were especially
devastating on Tang border defences whose troops were withdrawn to confront the uprising. The resultant military
weakness and loss of territory would gradually enervate the former power of the Tang empire. See Charles Benn,
China's Golden Age: Everyday Life in the Tang Dynasty (New York: Oxford University Press, 2002), pp. 9-13. For a
detailed account of the rebellion, see E.G. Pulleyblank, The Background of the Rebellion of An Lu-shan (London:
Oxford University Press, 1955).