Kaiyuan and Tianbao Periods

…In 712 (the 1st year of the Xianyuan era), Xuanzong ascended to the throne at the age of 28. He defeated the opposing Princess Taiping and changed the era name to Kaiyuan. He appointed capable people such as Yao Chong and Song Jing, and began to purge the government and reform the domestic administration. In 721 (the 9th year of the Kaiyuan era), he had Yuwen Rong implement the household policy and the land consolidation policy, as well as reforming the local administrative system and adopting a recruitment system instead of the military system. His proactive policies were many and remarkable. As a result of his efforts to enrich the country and strengthen its military while suppressing foreign invasions as much as possible, a glorious era known as the Kaiyuan era or the Kaiyuan-Tianbao era emerged, and the capital of Chang'an reached the height of prosperity. However, this prosperity was a fleeting one, as he dealt with the reality of the arrival of a new era, while maintaining a balance by using contradictory policies such as a return to a crumbling aristocratic society and a desire to rebuild it, or, to put it bluntly, underhanded tactics. …

*Some of the terminology explanations that refer to the Kaiyuan and Tianbao periods are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…712年(先天1)28歳で即位した玄宗は，対立する太平公主らを倒し年号を開元と改めると，姚崇，宋璟ら有能な人材を任用し，官界の粛清をはじめ内政刷新に着手した。721年(開元9)，宇文融に行わせた括戸政策や土地兼併の処理，さらに地方行政制度の改革，府兵制にかわる募兵制の採用など，その積極策にはみるべきものが多く，極力外征をおさえつつ富国強兵につとめたかいあって，世に開元の治あるいは〈開元･天宝時代〉と称される華やかな時代を現出し，長安の都は繁栄の極に達した。　この盛世はしかし，新しい時代の到来という現実に対処しながらも，崩れゆく貴族社会への回帰，立て直しを志向する矛盾に満ちた政策，悪くいえば姑息な策を弄してバランスを保ったつかの間の輝きであったともいえる。…

※「開元・天宝時代」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報