Everyday Tang

Part travelogue, part historical reflection, Everyday Tang is a profound, and often startling, meditation on one period in Chinese history: the magnificent and cosmopolitan Tang Dynasty (618–907).

In the summer of 2024, Xiaolu Guo travelled from England to China with her eleven-year-old in search of what remains of the ancient past. As they wander through the great cities of Xi’an and Luoyang, and cross rivers such as the Wei and the Yangzi, Xiaolu ponders the achievements of the Tang in science, arts, trade, spirituality, sexuality and women’s freedom, shedding new light on our understanding of the Tang Dynasty.