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Interview

1. Q: Li Zhi why did you choose Wu as a wife?
    A:I enraged the goverment officials by replacing my legal wife with one of my concubines as my wife.

2.  Q: What was your reaction to Wu strangling her newborn baby?
     A: I was horrified, i never knew my wife would kill her baby. That is a horrible thing and when i found out i couldn't even look at her. and Wu blamed it on my ex wife, who got her arms and legs cut off and i had to watch her die. it was a one of the worst things i have ever had to watch.


3.  Q: What was the hardest part in your marriage?
     A: The hardest part of our marriage is probably her, she has a horrible attitude and wont take no for an answer. And she takes advantage of me cause i have some health issues. She gets whatever she wants and I'm going to put a stop to it.

4.  Q: What was your first/legal wife like?
     A: She was a smart person who i loved and didn't want to leave. She had a better attitude than Wu and she was nicer too. Her name was Wang and she liked whatever i did, and Wu did not. Wang was a much better wife.

5.  Q: Does your wife have an anger issue?
     A:  Yes she does, she is horrible at listening to me. I'm getting tired of her and her attitude. I wish she would just let me rule on my own instead of her trying to get in my way. She can help me but she cant take over. Hopefully she will get better after reading this interview.

OP/ED Article

Taizong was self elected as emperor and so far he hasn't done anything good. He killed his 2 brothers to be the emperor and he is selfish and mean. But there are better emperors, Taizong is getting old and his son Li Zhi would be better for the job. Li Zhi cares about the people in his empire and he is nice, unlike his dad Taizong. And if we can get him to be emperor he will support all of our needs. Taizong might be a good emperor but i guarantee Li Zhi will be better. So help get Li Zhi as Emperor!

New Ruler

Taizong Died in 649, and 20 year old Li Zhi took the throne. He ruled as Gaozong. Unfortunately, the young man suffered from frequent attacks of dizziness, which made it difficult for him to function normally. In addition to his fragile health, he had a week character and was easily manipulated by other people. And he had no talent at all for running an empire. His reign did not look at all promising. One wonders why Taizong selected him among his other eligible sons.

Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi)

Religion

Gaozu was not s Buddhist, he did not support the religion. He issued an official edict defining Daoism and Confucianism as the 2 pillars of Chinese culture. Taizong(Gaozu's son) had little interest in Buddhism when he was ruling. But Taizong did hold an important audience with a Buddhist monk just the year before he died. And also before Taizong died he converted to Buddhism.

Confucianism symbol

Daoism symbol

Buddhism symbol

Invention

Gunpowder was invented by accident when a Daoist alchemist was looking for a way of changing base metals into gold. He mixed together charcoal, sulfur and saltpeter. When they ignited this substance it exploded! Gunpowder was used for festivals for a long time. It was stuffed into hollow sticks of bamboo, ignited and thrown up into the air to make a loud noise. Later in time color was added to the formula for visual effects. Indigo was used to make blue-green, white lead carbonate for white, red lead tetroxide for red, cinnabar for purple and arsenic sulphides for yellow. Powdered cast-iron shavings added bright sparkles. These "fireworks" were launched into the sky to make colorful designs along with loud noises.Firecrackers and fireworks were closely associated with the most important holiday in china- the new year- which begins on the first full moon after January 21st.

Map of Tang Dynasty

 

This is a map of China's Tang Dynasty in 700 AD. Border lines divide States, Empires, and Dynasty's. The Dynasty we are focusing on is the Tang Dynasty. This map and the U.S map are similar because they both have a lot of borders and proclamation lines and they have states. all these borders are the same besides the tang dynasty which was changed when their dynasty ended.

Shimin is Desperate for the Throne

 Li Shimin led a coup that resulted in the death of his older brother, and for good measure, his younger brother was killed as well. But being next in line to the throne was no longer enough. Shimin forced his father into retirement and declared himself emperor. "I had to kill my older brother because he was the only thing in the way of me and the throne. But then he died my father reconsidered and chose my younger brother because he thought i wasn't worthy enough so I had no choice but to kill him to. And with no one left for my father to choose he chose me and all I had to do was force him into retirement. " This is what Taizong had to say in his defense.