China Briefing | Open, friendly and rich. Modern China can learn from ancient Emperor Taizong
- The 7th-century Reign of Zhenguan was a period of peace and prosperity
- China’s leaders should learn much from this era, not just pay lip service with propaganda
The Reign of Zhenguan – or the era of good government under Emperor Taizong, the second emperor of the Tang dynasty, who ruled from 626 to 649 – occupies a unique place in the annals of Chinese history.
Historians generally hail the period as an example of ideal government and of the “Golden Years” in Chinese history; a time when the emperor, whose real name was Li Shimin, led his kingdom to unprecedented peace and prosperity through open and benign leadership.
Li’s 23-year rule (Zhenguan is his reign title) paved the way for the Tang dynasty to become at its peak the most powerful and richest empire in the world.
As the latest propaganda has it, following the annual meeting of the party’s Central Committee of 371 senior officials, the government has found a detailed road map that will take the country into “a new realm” of good government and prosperity.
