Summary: Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the An Lushan Rebellion, a major uprising against the Chinese Tang Dynasty in 755 AD. Although the dynasty's authority was restored, it never regained the prosperity of previous generations. The An Lushan Rebellion displaced millions of people and changed the relationship between the Chinese state and neighbouring powers, but it also left a rich cultural legacy in the poetry memorialising this seismic event. Melvyn Bragg is joined by Frances Wood, Lead Curator of Chinese at the British Library; Naomi Standen, Professor of Medieval History at the University of Birmingham and Hilde de Weerdt, Fellow and Lecturer in Chinese History at Pembroke College, Oxford.
