How coveted were geese in the Tang Dynasty? Not a single one could fly out of Chang'an alive

They say the standard setup for today's successful people is

being young with both a cat and a dog

But successful people living in the Tang Dynasty over a thousand years ago

were puffed upto the point of insanity

because their standard setup was

daring to string up a two-meter-tall strongman in a tree and beat him

Even a husky wouldn't dare provoke

a goose

In the 19th year of the Zhenguan era,

Emperor Taizong of Tangreturned from campaigning against Goguryeo

when an unexpected thing happened

because in Yong'an Palace, there appeared a pure gold

big goose

Emperor Taizong of Tang naturally liked this big golden goose very much

and immediately decided to confiscate it into the state treasury

After some careful questioning

he learned that it was sent by his son-in-lawSongtsen Gampoas a gift

(the very Tubo man who married Princess Wencheng)

The goose is like a wild goose; your subject has carefully smelted gold into a goose to present as tribute.

-- "New Book of Tang, Biographies Volume 141, Part 1"

So why did Songtsen Gampo suddenly send a golden goose?

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Back to the point, the answer is below

People in ancient times

raising poultryhas a long history

If it were raising some chickens and ducks, the style would still seem normal

But

starting in the Tang Dynasty

who knows which nerve the Tang people's brains tweaked

or whether they rolled off the bed in the middle of the night

anyway, every household followed the trend and raisedgeese

And not just one or two, buta whole flock

Where there is land, only bamboo is planted; there is no household that does not raise geese

-- "Three Spring Poems of Yangzhou" by Yao He

As the three daily things of an ordinary Tang Dynasty family

they were eating, sleeping, andwalking the goose

Under the social atmosphere of the time, it could be said

If you didn't raise a few geese, you wouldn't dare call yourself a Tang Dynasty person

Even in some local government offices

raising geese was likewise a very important matter

Official slaves and maids would be specially assigned to take charge

Women with skill are taken into the palace chambers; the rest, being incapable, are all assigned to the Court of Agriculture.

-- "Tang Dynasty Six Codes: Ministry of Justice, Capital Officials"

(Geese are extremely aggressive; an ordinary adult is completely unable to beat one)

But after all

As a fierce creature as famous as the Canada goose

One of countless people's childhood fears

why did Tang Dynasty people come to love raising geese?

(Actually, Chinese geese aren't that thuggish)

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