A large number of unearthed epigraphs of the Tang Dynasty revealed that during the nearly three centuries of the dynasty there were waves after waves of social turmoil in southern areas. In the Tang Dynasty there were harsh and hard taxes, illegallyacting corrupted officials and local despots, and fierce social contradictions in southern areas, which were far away from Chang’an and Luoyang the political centers of the dynasty. As a result, several considerably largescale “revolts” broke on some areas. Since the middle Tang Dynasty, frequent munities in southern areas indicated remarkably social turmoil. The unearthed epigraphs revealed information of class contradictions and social turmoil in southern areas from different perspectives. The epigraphs also offered some cases about the contemporaries’ ideas and practices to govern southern society. As the cases show, officials sent by the central court took different means of governance in southwestern and southeastern areas. They carried conciliatory and lenient poloicies in southern Chongqing, central Guizhou and Louzhou so as to soften the contradiction and conflict between the Han and ethnical people. In southeastern areas, however, as carrying out education of Confucian moral and etiquette, they often turned to harsh penalty, ruthlessly attacking mean officials, local despots, and rioters.

history of the Tang Dynasty; unearthed epigraph; southern society; munity