The Rise and Fall of Huang Chao

In the late Tang dynasty, after failing the imperial examinations, Huang Chao wrote “Chrysanthemums After Failing the Examination”: “Their fragrance soars to Chang’an, and golden armor fills the city.” The “golden armor” in the poem was not only the armor of the rebel army, but also a veiled declaration of war on the privileged classes. Using hit-and-run tactics, Huang Chao’s rebels swept across most of China. The great clans of Luoyang and Chang’an were slaughtered to the last, making “the imperial thoroughfare trampled beneath the bones of the nobles” a grim reality. After the uprising, the Tang dynasty was forced to expand the imperial examinations and lower the barriers to entry, allowing men from humble families to enter officialdom.