THE GRAND XINGTAI OF SHANDONG DAO IN THE EARLY TANG: A RECONSIDERATION
THE GRAND XINGTAI OF SHANDONG DAO IN THE EARLY TANG: A RECONSIDERATION

Summary/Abstract: This paper examines the Grand Xingtai of Shandong Dao, an institution that functioned for nine years in the early Tang Dynasty. It argues that the Xingtai initially served as a wartime command center but gradually shifted toward civil administration as conflicts in Hebei and Henan subsided. The study further analyzes its two core jurisdictions: Puzhou, a frontline military base in the dynasty’s formative years, and Luozhou, where Luoyang—both a strategic stronghold and the empire’s waterway transportation hub with major state granaries—was located. Finally, the paper considers the Xingtai’s political significance, suggesting that it played a crucial role in Li Shimin’s seizure of power, culminating in his ascendancy to supreme authority.

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