Blog Entry VIII - Horses and the Golden Age of the Tang

The high culture of the Tang dynasty is suggestive of typical western perceptions of late classical China—typical in a good way. The descriptions of the culture in Chang’an evoke a sense of romanticism, adventure, and a flourishing era full of wonder that many of us are familiar with, perhaps even since childhood, of what it may have been like to experience classical China. I personally found the position of upper class women and their material and social culture to be especially interesting. To me, the horsewomen of Chang’an are symbolic of the Tang dynasty.

Women in Chang’an had the opportunity to become skilled horsewomen, riding in the same style and with the same caliber of horses as the men did. In classical Europe, however, it was unfathomable for women to become adept horsewomen, let alone ride at a level comparable to men. In Chang’an, the horsewomen rode full-saddle, and could partake in various hunting activities with or without the accompaniment of men, including falconry and small game chases. Conversely, women in classical Europe rode side-saddle, usually rode only with male company, and very infrequently partook in falconry, small game chases, and other equestrian related sports. Furthermore, the riding costumes of the Chang’an women are particularly representative of their bold, progressive style. They adopted riding costumes similar to those of men, wearing long, tailored pants and leather boots, with billowing shirts and hunting caps that barely covered their hair or their faces! At the time, that would have been considered quite risqué, and yet, remains fashionable for horsewomen even contemporarily. In Europe, this fashion of riding costume wouldn’t take precedence for horsewomen until over a thousand years later. Women rode horses wearing flouncy, ruffled dresses, wide-brimmed hats and chiffon veils well into the late seventeenth century!

The direct image link is broken, so I've provided the link to the image on it's website. It's a clear, simple painting of Tang dynasty horsewomen and their costumes. There are accompanying images of similar genre on this website.

http://www.cultural-china.com/chinaWH/images/arbigimages/38ddb1ceeeee89f3f802f57d96b06a14.jpg


Below, a contemporary re-enactment of Tang dynasty costume and performance.