The collapse of the Tang Dynasty was not a sudden event but a long process of decline, climaxing with the outbreak of the Huang Chao Rebellion in the late ninth century. If the Tang Empire were compared to a critically ill patient, the rebellion would have been the fatal blow that ended its life.

By the year 873, Emperor Xizong ascended the throne at a time when the empire was already weakened by economic exhaustion and frequent natural disasters. Widespread famine forced ordinary people into extreme poverty, while the emperor showed little concern for state affairs. Under such conditions, social unrest intensified, and peasant revolts erupted one after another. Among them, the Huang Chao Rebellion proved to be the most destructive.

In 875, Huang Chao mobilized thousands of followers and launched an armed uprising against the Tang government. His forces expanded rapidly, and in 881 they captured Chang’an, the imperial capital (modern Xi’an). Huang Chao declared himself emperor and established a short-lived regime known as Da Qi. During this turbulent period, a military figure named Zhu Wen emerged. Initially serving under Huang Chao, Zhu Wen later defected to the Tang court and was appointed as a general, marking a decisive turning point in the conflict.

With the assistance of former rebel leaders such as Zhu Wen and Li Keyong, the Tang court eventually suppressed the uprising in 884. However, the rebellion had already shattered the foundations of imperial authority. The central government lost effective control, while powerful regional warlords began to dominate vast territories.

In the years that followed, the Tang Dynasty existed largely in name only. Military governors controlled strategic regions, leaving the emperor with authority over only a handful of provinces. Although Emperor Zhaozong attempted to preserve the dynasty, real power rested in the hands of Zhu Wen, whose military influence continued to grow.

Political struggles soon intensified. Rival factions fought for control of the emperor, leading to repeated conflicts and court intrigue. Eventually, Zhu Wen seized full control of the government. In 907, he forced the last Tang ruler, Emperor Ai, to abdicate and proclaimed himself emperor of a new dynasty, ending nearly three centuries of Tang rule.

Thus, the Tang Dynasty came to an end—not merely through rebellion, but through prolonged internal decay, regional fragmentation, and the rise of military strongmen who replaced imperial authority with personal power.