China Built the World's Most Diverse Empire 1000 Years Before NYC

Added: 2026-05-17

[00:00:00]Did you know that over a thousand years ago, one Chinese city was more diverse than modern New York? In the heart of Tang Dynasty China, the capital city of Chang'an housed over 1 million people from across Asia, Europe, and Africa.

[00:00:13]This wasn't just another ancient empire.

[00:00:15]The Tang Dynasty created history's most internationally diverse civilization, where foreign merchants, scholars, and diplomats made Chinese cities their permanent homes. As the end point of the legendary Silk Road trade routes, Tang cities overflowed with wealth and cultures from distant [music] lands.

[00:00:32]Persian traders walked alongside African diplomats, while European scholars studied in Chinese universities.

[00:00:38]>> [music] >> Under Wu Zetian, China's only female emperor, the empire expanded even further, while promoting religious tolerance across all faiths. Tang poets and artists created masterpieces still considered the peak of Chinese culture today. But perhaps most revolutionary was their merit-based [music] examination system, where talent mattered more than noble birth. They welcomed foreign tech- nologies and ideas, creating a golden age that shaped East Asian civilization for centuries.

[00:01:06]The Tang Dynasty [music] proved that diversity and openness could build the greatest empire the world had ever seen.