1. Reasons for choosing Luoyang as the capital
1. Food problem.
From a geographical point of view, the "eight hundred miles of Qinchuan" around Chang'an City can basically provide residents with their daily dietary needs. But in fact, due to the concentration of wealthy nobles from all over the country and businessmen from all over Europe and Asia in Chang'an City, the millions of foreign people consume immeasurable food rations; and most of the Longxi area is the territory of the Royal Horse Supervisor, It was mainly used for raising horses for the court and was not used for farming.
After the founding of the Tang Dynasty, Chang'an City's grain reserves shrank day by day. In years of famine, the emperor would lead his concubines, ministers and other people of all kinds to Luoyang to "eat". Before Wu Zetian came to the throne, she had such "begging" experiences three or four times, which may have left a shadow in Wu Zetian's mind: How is this kind of behavior different from the low-level nomads who "live in pursuit of water and grass"?
In contrast, although the grain production in the Yiluo River Basin in Luoyang is not as good as that of the "Eight Hundred Miles of Qinchuan", it has unparalleled convenient transportation advantages at the time - the Luoyang-based city built during the period of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is the starting point. With the help of water transportation, Luoyang can continuously obtain the food it needs for survival from Suzhou and Huzhou in the southeast.
2. Political issues.
Around Chang'an City, the Longxi aristocrats, Shandong's five surnames and seven clans, and the Jiangnan gentry formed a solid center of power, which was even as powerful as the royal family Li's. Glory. The old forces headed by the Longxi clan monopolized politics, economy, culture and other aspects, and became the main resistance to Wu Zetian's reform.
As the eastern capital, Luoyang, was relatively far away from the political center, it provided some convenience for Wu Zetian's contact with poor scholars. After Wu Zetian established his capital in Luoyang, he successively weakened the influence of noble families by revising the "Record of Surnames", using cruel officials, setting up palace examinations, and adding military examinations, and paved the way for the poor families to enter the court and become officials.
Abandoning Chang'an and making Luoyang the capital was just the result of Wu Zetian's political considerations. However, in the Tang Dynasty, when academic heirlooms and books were rare, it was still a general trend for the aristocrats to control education and culture. The number of students admitted to the Jinshi program was relatively small. The number of people on the "Dragon and Tiger List" that Han Yu passed the Jinshi examination was the largest, even 23 Just people. In ancient Chinese society, the influence of education cannot be underestimated.
2. The reason why Luoyang is called the Divine Capital:
The name "Shendu" evolved from "Shenzhou". "Shenzhou" is the name for China. The word "Shenzhou" was first seen in "The End and Beginning of the Five Virtues" by Zuo Yan, a master of Yin and Yang in the Warring States Period.
It records: Zuo Yan said that "the Chinese name is Chixian Shenzhou". This means that the central area of ??ancient my country was called "Shenzhou". "Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals · Twelve Chronicles" records: "The central land...its emperor Huangdi, and its god Houtu." "Shenzhou" should refer to the place where the "Central God" Huangdi and Houtu lived.
"Selected Works of Sun Chu (Book of Shi Zhongrong and Sun Hao)" records: "The earth is the middle mountain of Shenzhou." Liu Liang noted: "Shenzhou is also Luoyang." This shows that "Shenzhou" refers to Luoyang as the center. Heluo area.
In the 16 years from the first year of Shangyuan (674), when Wu Zetian began to rule as the "Queen of Heaven", to the first year of Tianshou (690), when she officially proclaimed the emperor, Wu did a lot to become the emperor. After a long and long preparation, a variety of powerful and effective measures were taken. One of the most important ones was to change the official name in 684 and change the eastern capital Luoyang to the divine capital.
In September of the first year of Guangzhai (684), Wu Zetian changed the eastern capital of Luoyang to the divine capital. Wu Zetian once explained this in the edict of changing the Yuan Dynasty. The reason why Luoyang was changed to the god was because "the Zhenxing has been in Taiwei for many years. It has the beauty of the local essence and represents the Yuan talisman of Kun Zuo. It is appropriate to empathize with the emperor and use it as a symbol." Shi Jianxiang. The Eastern Capital was changed to the Divine Capital, and the palace was named Taichu Palace."
It means that after the death of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, the change of "Zhen Xing was in Taiwei" took place.
In the eyes of people at that time, Luoyang corresponded to Taiweiyuan in the sky; Luoshui Guandu corresponded to the Milky Way in the sky. And the Zhenxing (i.e. Jupiter) stops in Taiwei, which is a sign that a woman is in power.
Wu Zetian believed that Luoyang was a city created by heaven and had divine power bestowed by heaven; she herself was also the ruler chosen by heaven and also had divine power bestowed by heaven.
Extended information
Shendu is the ancient name of Luoyang, which means the capital of China. Shendu was the alias of Luoyang during the Tang Ruizong and Wu Zhou periods, and was also the capital of the Wu Zhou Dynasty. The name "Shendu" first appeared in "Shui Jing Zhu". On September 6, the first year of civilization of Emperor Ruizong of the Tang Dynasty (AD 684), Wu Zetian, who was proclaimed the emperor, changed the eastern capital Luoyang to the "Shen Capital";
In the fourth year of Chui Gong (AD 688), Wu Zetian was in Luoyang He was given the honorary title "The Holy Mother God Emperor"; in the first year of Zaichu (AD 690), Wu Zetian changed the Tang Dynasty to the Zhou Dynasty, and made Luoyang, the sacred capital, the capital. For a time, the name of "Shendu" spread throughout the world.
Wu Zetian took Luoyang, the sacred capital, as the center of his rule for nearly 50 years. He basically continued the rule of Zhenguan and laid the foundation for the subsequent prosperous Kaiyuan era. He was called by Guo Moruo as "the government initiated the Kaiyuan and governed the macro Zhenguan". Its influence was far-reaching, affecting Korea, Japan and other countries at that time.
Luoyang is a reader of Chinese culture. Historical research shows that Chinese civilization first sprouted here, Taoism originated here, Confucianism originated here, Confucian classics flourished here, Buddhism was first spread here, metaphysics was formed here, and Neo-Confucianism originated here. Luoyang is also the main root of the surname and the root of the Hakka people. China's earliest historical document "Hetu Luoshu" came from Luoyang. Heluo culture is an important source of Chinese culture. The river is the Yellow River and Luo is Luoshui.