开元盛世

　　開元(公元713～741年)是唐玄宗李隆基統治前期的年號。从唐太宗贞观初年到开元末年，经过100多年的积累，唐朝出现了全面繁荣的景象，历史上叫做“开元盛世”。

　　唐玄宗又称唐明皇，是武则天的孙子，他当上皇帝后，立志继承唐太宗的事业，任用有才能的人，接受大臣的正确意见，精心治理国家。有一年河南等地發生很嚴重的蝗(hug)蟲災害。蝗虫飞过时，黑压压的一大片，连太阳都遮没了。田里的庄稼都被蝗虫吃光了。许多人都认为这是上天降给人们的灾难，没有办法。但唐玄宗听从当时宰相(中国古代帮助皇帝治理国家的最高官员)的意见，认为蝗虫只不过是一种害虫，没有甚么可怕的，应坚决消灭它。由于采取了有效的措施，各地的虫灾都得到了治理。

　　唐玄宗在位最初20年里，唐朝出现了兴盛的景象。大诗人杜甫在《忆昔(x1)》诗中这样描述：“忆昔开元全盛日，小邑(yi)犹藏万家室。稻米流脂粟米白，公私仓廪(l1n)俱丰实。”诗句的意思是开元全盛时期，连小县城都有上万户人家。农业连年获得丰收，粮食装满了公家和私人的仓库，人民生活十分富裕。

　　开元年间，社会安定，天下太平，商业和交通也十分发达。扬州位于大运河和长江交汇(hu1)处，中外商人汇集，城市特别繁华。唐都长安城里更是热闹非凡，世界上很多国家的使臣、商人、学者、工匠都争相前往唐朝进行友好交往，开展贸(mao)易，学习文化、技术。中国封建社会出现了前所未有的盛世景象，这就是历史上有名的“开元盛世”。

　　Kaiyuan (713-741 AD) was the earlier reign period of Li Longji, Emperor Xuanzong (r.712-756 AD). The unprecedented prosperity of these years earned them the description "The Prosperous Kaiyuan Period".

　　Emperor Xuanzong was the grandson of Wu Zetian, but he modeled his rule on that of Emperor Taizong. He made use of capable people, listened to his ministers'advice and devoted himself to affairs of state. He demonstrated his capability with prompt measures one year to combat a plague of locusts in northern China, and saved the people from starvation.

　　The renowned poet Du Fu described the prosperity of that time in his poem "emembering the Past": "I remember the good old Kaiyuan days/When even a small county had ten thousand households/The rice shone and the corn was white/And granaries of state and people burst with grain alike."

　　During the Kaiyuan Period, the society was stable and peaceful, and commerce and transportation were highly developed. Yangzhou, located where the Grand Canal meets the Yangtze River, was a bustling city where merchants from all over China and abroad converged. Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty, was then one of the world's great metropolises. Envoys, merchants, scholars and artisans of many countries flocked to Chang'an to trade, and to study the advanced culture and technology of the Tang Dynasty.