The Tang Dynasty's Unruly Imperial Son

This is the story of a scoundrel son-in-law in the Tang Dynasty. Centuries later, when people happen upon historical records, they are astonished to read this passage in the Book of Tang.

Guo Ai, Han Chinese; faith: devoted to promoting the socialist faith;

Catchphrase: "Are you relying on your father being the Son of Heaven? My father simply doesn't want to be emperor!"

Special talents: skilled at amassing wealth and maneuvering for power, a master at wooing women;

Main social identity: son of Guo Ziyi, a military governor in the mid-Tang; son-in-law of the emperor's eldest princess;

Achievements: leading figure in mid-Tang literature, pioneer of poetic and literary reform, ushered in a new literary style, and innovator in calligraphy.

Historical contributions: wiped out the power of the regional military governors; reopened the Silk Road, once again fostering flourishing economic and cultural exchanges between East and West; subdued the Turks, pushed back the Uyghurs, pacified Tibet, destroyed Wa, and restored the Tang to greatness...

Historical assessment: His thinking was eccentric and his behavior debauched. He fancied himself a paragon of virtue, yet never took the world as his responsibility and considered himself unworthy to serve the state. He was proud of his talent and used wealth and rank to rally people, while men of noble character were often unwilling to serve him... Yet the whole world admired him. He had a profound influence on medieval feudal China and even the wider world, and his significance was immense.