Asian Studies Lecture - Kimberly Harui

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In her lecture "Decadence and Destruction: The Revelry of Tang Emperor Xuanzong that Culminated in An Lushan’s Rebellion," Kimberly Harui discusses the cultural and political climate leading up to An Lushan’s uprising and the role that the historian plays in modern impressions toward depictions of the past.

The An Lushan Rebellion has been recorded in Chinese history as one of the most devastating periods of unrest during what was once the golden age of the Tang dynasty (618-907). It followed a period of extreme decadence and indulgence by the Tang Emperor Xuanzong and his treasured concubine, Yang Guifei. Spanning from 755-63, the lasting effects of the insurgence have continued to be recounted in textual histories, poetry, literature, and film up to the present day. This lecture explores the cultural and political climate leading up to An Lushan’s uprising and the role that the historian plays in modern impressions toward depictions of the past.

Kimberly Harui is a doctoral candidate in the East Asian Civilizations department and instructor of Chinese at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. She received her bachelor’s degrees in Japanese Literature and Chinese Literature at the University of California, Berkeley. Her research concentrates on Sino-Japanese relations in Medieval China and Early Japan, with a particular interest in religious history and the textual creation of social memory.

Sponsored by the Hubers Asian Studies Program and the History Department.

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