Tang poetry, calligraphy, music, chess, painting, ceramics, sculpture, dance and costume, among other things, are creative and original. The concepts behind them are apparent in Tang life. Today we are unable to meet our Tang counterparts, but archeological discoveries afford us a glimpse of the Tang Society. Chuang Shen is an outstanding art historian, a teacher very much loved by his students. This book is a study of many aspects of life in the tang dynasty. Only a scholar as erudite and learned as Chuang Shen could leave later generations such an unparalleled work.