Between Heaven and Earth: Intimate Encounters with Tang Dynasty Giants

What if you could sit down with the towering figures of Tang Dynasty China—emperors, poets, empresses, monks, and artisans—and ask them the questions history books leave unanswered? Sparked by a childhood encounter with a ceramic horse, one historian embarks on an audacious journey through time, using "historically informed imagination" to bridge the gap between rigorous scholarship and the lived experiences of the past. Go beyond the official records and step into intimate conversations with the architects of a golden age and witnesses to its decline. Hear Emperor Taizong justify the brutal decisions that secured his throne, feel the political calculations behind Empress Wu Zetian's revolutionary reign, share wine with the brilliant, unrestrained poet Li Bai, and understand the pragmatic artistry of Master Gao, whose ceramics carried Tang influence across continents. From the contemplative silence of Buddhist monasteries with Xuanzang and Amoghavajra to the defiant perspectives of Princess Wencheng in Tibet and the nuanced survival of Persian merchants in Chang'an, these encounters reveal the Tang Dynasty in all its complex glory—a civilization defined by its embrace of contradiction. Witness its rise, its flourishing, its catastrophic rebellion, and its enduring legacy through the voices of those who lived it. "Between Heaven and Earth" offers a unique, humanized perspective on one of history's most fascinating eras, revealing how power, art, spirituality, and everyday life intertwined to create a civilization whose influence still resonates today.