---
node: an_lushan_rebellion
type: event
slug: an_lushan_rebellion
title: "An Lushan Rebellion"
lead: "In December 755 the frontier military governor An Lushan rebelled against the Tang, taking Luoyang and the capital Chang'an; the rebellion was not put down until 763. Tang central power never fully recovered."
published: 2026-07-09
updated: 2026-07-09
image_file: an_lushan_rebellion.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:An_Lushan_Rebellion.png"
image_author: "SY"
image_license: "CC BY-SA 4.0"
---

## What happened

An Lushan rose at Fanyang in December 755 and took Luoyang, then Chang'an. Emperor Xuanzong fled toward Sichuan; at Mawei his soldiers forced the death of his consort Yang Guifei. Continued by An's successors and Shi Siming — hence the name 安史 — the rebellion was suppressed by 763 with Uyghur help.

## Background

An Lushan was a military governor (jiedushi) of Sogdian-Turkic descent who commanded large armies on the northeastern frontier.

## Consequences

Loss of life was enormous, and the administrative collapse shows in the census records. Tang central power never fully recovered: provinces under military governors became semi-autonomous, and the fiscal system shifted with the two-tax reform of 780.