The Tang dynasty, one of the longest dynasties in Chinese history (618\u2013907), is hailed by historians as China\u2019s golden age. It didn\u2019t come about by chance. It owed much to the conscious efforts of its co-founder, Emperor Taizong.
\nTang TaizongI\u00a0is one of history\u2019s greatest rulers, ranking with Augustus, Genghis Khan, and Napol\u00e9on\u2014and even, in some cases, exceeding their accomplishments. Under Taizong\u2019s leadership, China became the world\u2019s largest and strongest country. The emperor\u2019s reign was marked by a number of savvy, innovative, and bold accomplishments, setting a high standard for all leaders who would come after.
\nTang Taizong and his circle of gifted ministers held many discussions regarding how best to run the government and achieve longevity for the dynasty. Most of their conversations were recorded and later compiled in an anthology entitled\u00a0The Zhenguan Executive Guide. This book has since become a classic on leadership, management, and statecraft.
\nCONVERSATIONS BETWEEN TANG TAIZONG AND HIS MINISTERS
\nSCOUTING TALENTS
\nTaizong told the crown prince, \u201cA boat crossing the ocean depends on its sailors. A bird flying through the skies depends on its wings. An emperor running his country depends on the support of his aides. You should rather have one talent in your employ than have a thousand ounces of gold in your coffer.
\n\u201cBut talented people may live in obscurity. They may be waiting for the right opportunity; they may come from humble origins or have low status; they may be poor or holding menial jobs. You must make every effort to seek them out, for such people will make your life easier.\u201d
\nSIX TYPES OF GOOD OFFICIALS
\nMinister Wei Zheng categorized good officials into six types:
\n\u201cThose who are prescient enough to tell signs of coming events and take preemptive actions before any trouble occurs so as to protect the ruler.
\n\u201cThose who give the ruler sound advice, carry out his good policies, and correct his mistakes promptly.
\n\u201cThose who work hard, inspire the ruler with examples of sage kings in history, and recommend worthy men to him.
\n\u201cThose who are perceptive, capable of remedying the ruler\u2019s mistakes and turning a bad thing into good account.
\n\u201cThose who abide by the law, do not take bribes or seek high pay, and lead a simple and frugal life.
\n\u201cThose who do not flatter and dare to speak out against the ruler\u2019s mistakes.\u201d<\/p>\n
SIX TYPES OF BAD OFFICIALS
\nHe also divided wicked officials into six types:
\n\u201cThose who do not work hard but think only of power and wealth and have no principles.
\n\u201cThose who always say yes to the ruler, try to please him by any means, and go along with him even when he is wrong.
\n\u201cThose who are double-faced, jealous of the worthy, and use tricks to manipulate the ruler and cause him to be unfair to his officials.
\n\u201cThose who are smart enough to conceal their own wrongdoing, are eloquent enough to win favor from others, and purposefully create confusion in court.
\n\u201cThose who abuse their position for selfish ends and try to feather their own nests in the name of the ruler.
\n\u201cThose who use artful talk to beguile the ruler, confuse right and wrong to mislead him, and cause him to bear a bad name.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The Ruler’s Guide: China’s Greatest Emperor and His Timeless Secrets of Success <\/strong><\/em> The Tang dynasty, one of the longest dynasties in Chinese history (618\u2013907), is hailed by historians as China\u2019s golden age. It didn\u2019t come about by chance. It owed much to the conscious efforts of its co-founder, Emperor Taizong. Tang TaizongI\u00a0is one of history\u2019s greatest rulers,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29489,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/post-1590.jpg?fit=900%2C609&ssl=1","rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/post-1590.jpg?fit=900%2C609&ssl=1",900,609,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/post-1590.jpg",900,609,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/post-1590.jpg",900,609,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/post-1590.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/post-1590.jpg?fit=300%2C203&ssl=1",300,203,true],"large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/post-1590.jpg?fit=900%2C609&ssl=1",900,609,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/post-1590.jpg?fit=900%2C609&ssl=1",900,609,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/post-1590.jpg?fit=900%2C609&ssl=1",900,609,true],"portfolio-square":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/post-1590.jpg?resize=570%2C570&ssl=1",570,570,true],"portfolio-portrait":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/post-1590.jpg?resize=600%2C609&ssl=1",600,609,true],"portfolio-landscape":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/post-1590.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1",800,600,true],"menu-featured-post":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/post-1590.jpg?resize=345%2C198&ssl=1",345,198,true],"qode-carousel_slider":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/post-1590.jpg?resize=400%2C260&ssl=1",400,260,true],"portfolio_slider":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/post-1590.jpg?resize=500%2C380&ssl=1",500,380,true],"portfolio_masonry_regular":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/post-1590.jpg?resize=500%2C500&ssl=1",500,500,true],"portfolio_masonry_wide":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/post-1590.jpg?resize=900%2C500&ssl=1",900,500,true],"portfolio_masonry_tall":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/post-1590.jpg?resize=500%2C609&ssl=1",500,609,true],"portfolio_masonry_large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/post-1590.jpg?resize=900%2C609&ssl=1",900,609,true],"portfolio_masonry_with_space":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/post-1590.jpg?fit=700%2C474&ssl=1",700,474,true],"latest_post_boxes":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/post-1590.jpg?resize=539%2C303&ssl=1",539,303,true],"woocommerce_thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/post-1590.jpg?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1",300,300,true],"woocommerce_single":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/post-1590.jpg?fit=600%2C406&ssl=1",600,406,true],"woocommerce_gallery_thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/post-1590.jpg?resize=100%2C100&ssl=1",100,100,true]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/author\/admin\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Philosophy<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"The Tang dynasty, one of the longest dynasties in Chinese history (618\u2013907), is hailed by historians as China\u2019s golden age. It didn\u2019t come about by chance. It owed much to the conscious efforts of its co-founder, Emperor Taizong. Tang TaizongI\u00a0is one of history\u2019s greatest rulers,...","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32213"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32213"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32213\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43824,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32213\/revisions\/43824"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29489"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nChinghua Tang<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"