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25-676: The Sumpa identified as the people known to the Chinese as the Supi ( 蘇毗 ) or Sunpo ( 孫波 ). The Tangshu , chap. 221b, says that the people of the country of Supi (Sumpa) were originally of Western Qiang descent. The Qiang had been in the region for a very long time – they were the main foreign enemies of the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BCE). It has been suggested by Christopher I. Beckwith that their name may have derived from an Indo-European root meaning 'charioteer'. After they were annexed by

50-797: A Tibetan dialect. The Sumpa/Supi are associated with the Supiya of Kharosthi documents of about 300 CE from the Tarim Basin . They are described as being among the invaders of the Kingdom of Khotan ('the red-faced (Tibetans), Huns, Chinese, Supiya'). To the Khotanese, who had been a settled people for about a thousand years, they appeared as savage and uncouth. They are also mentioned as having been in Niya and Cherchen . The Supi have also been closely associated with mysterious "Kingdoms of Women" during

75-403: A new compilation of Tang history, based on his belief that the original Old Book of Tang lacked organization and clarity. The process took 17 years, being finally completed in 1060. The New Book of Tang differed dramatically from the older version in its organization and contents, in part due to the literary and philosophical inclinations of its chief compilers. Ouyang Xiu frequently invoked

100-628: A new history of the Tang dynasty was commissioned; with Ouyang Xiu and Song Qi as editors, the New Book of Tang was then produced. After the New Book was presented, the original Old Book of Tang went out of print, and over centuries it became very rare. It was during the Ming dynasty when the remaining copies were gathered and the book was once again published, eventually becoming canonised as one of

125-656: Is the first classic historical work about the Tang dynasty , comprising 200 chapters, and is one of the Twenty-Four Histories . Originally compiled during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (10th century AD), it was superseded by the New Book of Tang , which was compiled in the Song dynasty , but later regained acceptance. The credited editor was chief minister Liu Xu , but the bulk (if not all) of

150-428: Is the longest and most detailed, showing the relative importance placed on ceremonial matters. This section includes descriptions of temple design, sacrifices, and festivals. The section on geography (volumes 38–41) contains a description of the regional administration of the Tang empire around the year 752. The section on officials (volumes 42–44) contains a description of the Tang administrative system. The section on

175-550: The Tongdian of Du You . These sources were often directly copied from records and earlier histories, and the result would be severely criticised during the Northern Song ; Emperor Renzong of Song , for example, called the book "poorly organised, burdened with unimportant details, wanting in style and poorly researched". These errors even included duplicated biographies of characters. Because of these criticisms, in 1044

200-624: The Twenty-Four Histories . Xin Tangshu The New Book of Tang , generally translated as the "New History of the Tang" or "New Tang History", is a work of official history covering the Tang dynasty in ten volumes and 225 chapters. The work was compiled by a team of scholars of the Song dynasty , led by Ouyang Xiu and Song Qi . It was originally simply called the Tangshu (唐書, Book of Tang ) until

225-895: The Sui dynasty (581–617 CE). It is also known as Eastern Kingdom of Women  [ zh ] 東女國. "A queen of the Suvarṇagotra in the western 女國 Niu-kuo [Pinyin: Nüguo ] of women was called in Chinese Su-p'i , which may indicate a woman of the Supīya ." The Tibetan Annals record that the Tibetans took the territory of Śo-čhigs of the Sumpa in 692 and in 702 the Emperor Tridu Songtsen and his Council made an inspection of Sumpa territory. According to documents from Dunhuang

250-526: The 18th century. In Chinese history, it was customary for dynasties to compile histories of their immediate predecessor as a means of cementing their own legitimacy. As a result, during the Later Jin dynasty of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period , a history of the preceding Tang dynasty, the Old Book of Tang ( 唐書 ) had already been compiled. In 1044, however, Emperor Renzong of Song ordered

275-511: The Advisor, Mangporje, brought "the whole country of the Sumpa under tribute" under Songtsen Gampo probably c . 627. Although the original annexation of the Sumpa by the Chinese appears to have been basically peaceful, and the Sumpa were gradually assimilated into the general Tibetan population, there were occasional tensions between the two groups. The Old Tibetan Chronicle says that Myang Mangporje advised Songtsen Gampo against attacking

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300-536: The Southern Silk Route from the mid-eighth to mid-ninth century CE. A major administrative division or "horn" of Tibet (there were six altogether), was named "Sumpa-ru". It was in northeastern Tibet ( Amdo ) near Miran , and soldiers were sent from there to man camps at Mazar-tagh and Miran in the southern Tarim Basin . Old Book of Tang The Old Book of Tang , or simply the Book of Tang ,

325-702: The Sumpa, who had been among his father Namri Songtsen ’s feudatory states. "Instead he offered protection for their flocks, wherefore, in the words of the Chronicle, ‘all their households were naturally captured as subjects.’" Along with the 'Asha ( Tuyuhun ) they were rapidly absorbed by the Yarlung dynasty during the 7th and 8th centuries CE. After their submission to the Tibetans from the Yarlung Valley , they were stationed in Minyak or modern Amdo , to guard

350-504: The Tang originals. The annals of the Tang emperors are covered in volumes 1–10. Wilkinson notes that the annals in the New Book of Tang are considerably shorter than the Old Book of Tang . The treatises are contained in volumes 11 through 60. As noted above the treatises are greatly expanded compared with the Old Book of Tang . The section on Rites and Music ( 禮樂 ) is the largest occupying 12 volumes (11-22). The New Book of Tang

375-571: The Tibetans they took the name of Sunpo (= Sumpa). They were the largest of the tribes in the region and consisted of some 30,000 family units. Their territory extended from the border of the Domi people to the east as far as the Houmangxia (or Houmang Gorge) Pass in the west. The location of the Supi/Sumpa kingdom in the 7th–8th centuries in northeastern Tibet stretched from the southern bank of

400-753: The Yak River (Chinese: Tongtian River – known in Tibetan as the Chu-dmar, the largest upper course of the 'Bri-chu or Yangtze River ) in the east about 1,400 li (roughly 452 km) southwest to the Houmangxia Pass (= the Ta-tsang-la) and ranged at times as far as Khotan . The Sumpa were considered part of the Tibetan kingdom as early as the 6th century CE, in the time of Songtsen Gampo 's father Namri Songtsen , and are thought to have spoken

425-816: The eastern frontier against the Chinese. According to Tangshu 221b; during the Tianbao era (742–755), the Sumpa king, Molingzan, wanted to submit to the Chinese Empire with all his people, but he was killed by the Tibetans. His son Xinuo, accompanied by some dignitaries, sought refuge in Longyou in Gansu . The Governor sent them with an escort to the capital where the Emperor, Xuanzong (reigned 712–756 CE), treated them with great honours. The Xin Tangshu 216a places

450-640: The editing work was actually completed by his predecessor Zhao Ying . The authors include Zhang Zhao , Jia Wei ( 賈緯 ), and Zhao Xi ( 趙熙 ). The Old Book of Tang comprises 200 volumes. Volumes 1–20 contain the annals of the Tang emperors. Twitchett notes that coverage over time in the annals is most dense during the early and middle Tang, including only very sparse information in the late Tang after 847. Volumes 21–50 contain treatises, including rites, music, calendar, astronomy , five elements, geography, officials, carriages and clothes, literature, food and commodities, and law. The section on rites (volumes 21–27)

475-430: The five elements ( 五行 ) contains a description of earthquakes, floods, and other natural events. Volumes 51–200 contain biographical related content, including empresses and consorts (51–52), imperial families, and the peoples populating the areas bordering the Tang empire (194–200). The book's compiling began when the Later Jin 's founding emperor Shi Jingtang ordered its compilation in 941. The original chief editor

500-473: The horse trade with Tibet and military affairs, and a table of the bureaucratic hierarchy of the Tang administration which was missing from the old Old Book of Tang . Another feature which was revived was the use of "tables" ( 表 ), annalistic tables of events and successions which included not just the emperors themselves but also chancellors and jiedushi . The style of prose in the New Book also differed, because Ouyang Xiu and Song Qi were both admirers of

525-406: The principle of reason in evaluating historical accounts, and purged all accounts containing elements of myth or superstition, thereby dramatically shortening many of the biographies of emperors and major figures. In contrast, the New Book of Tang included several new sections of more practical interest to Tang history. These included a much expanded series of Treatises ( 志 ), including topics on

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550-432: The simplified, 'ancient' prose style of Tang scholars such as Han Yu , rather than the flowery prose style found in official Tang documents. This led them to change the original wordings in the documents that they quoted in the book. However, in the reduction, the direct use of Tang court records was lost, some reduced passages were unclear, and many errors were introduced in attempting to find more 'ancient' words to rephrase

575-479: The submission of the son of the Supi king in 755. It gives his name as Xinuoluo and says that he was granted the title of Huaiyi ("he who cherishes justice") Prince, and was given the family name of Li. It adds, "The Supi are a powerful tribe." Evidence from documents on woodslips found near modern-day Hotan shows that "Tibetan armies, including previously subjugated Sumpa and Zhangzhung elements" were stationed along

600-545: Was Zhao Ying , who was also the chancellor then. However, by the time of its completion, Liu Xu had become chancellor and taken over the work of organisation; as a result he was credited as chief editor when the work was presented in 945 to Emperor Chu of Jin . Being a relatively quickly compiled work of official history, the Old Book of Tang was a compilation of earlier annals, now lost; it further incorporates other monographs and biographies, using as sources (for instance)

625-788: Was the first of the standard histories to include a treatise on selecting and appointing officials ( 選擧志 ). This included a description of the examination system, which had become an increasingly important aspect of recruiting officials in the Tang, especially after 780. The tables are contained in volumes 61–75. Four biographies of women appear in this new book that were not present in the first Old Book of Tang . The women kill or maim themselves in horrible ways, and represent examples of Tang dynasty women that were intended to deter contemporary readers from extreme behavior. For example, Woman Lu gouges her own eye out to assure her ailing husband that there will be no second man after him. Biographies of 35 overly filial and fraternal men are also included in

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