One corner of China’s internet is insisting that the Tang Dynasty never existed
A fringe conspiracy theory claiming the Tang Dynasty never existed has gained traction on Chinese social media. The movement, fueled by a history influencer, challenges the state-sanctioned historical narrative and has prompted public confusion.
Why it matters
It illustrates the challenges the Chinese government faces in controlling historical narratives and managing misinformation within its highly regulated internet ecosystem.
Something weird has been happening on China’s internet. One small and vocal corner has been claiming the country’s most famous historical dynasty never existed. That’s the Tang, which ruled China from 618 AD to 907 AD, a period that saw huge territorial expansion, booming international trade and the flourishing of a high culture envied far beyond its borders. Every child learns about the Tang at school; historical dramas inspired by its palace intrigues are a staple of state TV. Claiming that the 300-year dynasty was actually a myth is akin to saying the American Civil War never happened, or telling a Brit that the Magna Carta is a fiction. But in recent months it’s been spreading among China’s very online population, posing a headache for a ruling Communist Party obsessed with controlling how its citizens talk about their 5,000 years of fractious and contested history.
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