The festival is the frame of time, and people arrange time by means of setting festivals. The festival is not only the frame of time, but also the life time of man. In addition, the festival is a big stage, on which the concept of value, moral consciousness, the mode of thinking, the pattern of behavior and aesthetic taste, etc. are all epitomized. Furthermore, the festival is a barometer of society, for even the slightest changes of the social life and national culture in different regions and times can be reflected in the festival culture and the festival life. On the contrary, the slightest changes of festival life and culture can reflect the features and distinctions of regions and times as well. So festival is a window to study the transformation of national culture and social change. Hence the study of festival life and culture on the history becomes a significant subject of historical studies. Tang Dynasty is a significant era on the festival history. So to make a further study on the festivals in Tang dynasty is an important content as well as a key to comprehend the society of Tang Dynasty. This dissertation is a study of development of Chinese festival by period. The article claims that a successful study of festival by period is supposed to describe and interpret festival's "new cases" in this period of time. That is to say, it should not only unfold the festival's characteristics as a cultural phenomenon in Tang Dynasty, it should also reveal the stages of festival development within this period and in particular, the periodic progress of a specific festival. Therefore, based on Complete Poetry of Tang, Complete Writings of Tang, and some other data such as some notes and novels, from views of many subjects, including history, folklore, sociology, and politics, this article makes a specific study on festival's characteristics in Tang dynasty, the emergence and development of new festivals in this period of time, and some changes of traditional festival in Tang Dynasty. Furthermore, in view of some traditional studies on the history of Folk overlooking the current subject issues, and based on the concept that in the method and logic of social science, only if the subjective thoughts of the individual is taken in accounts of the range of scientific research, could the acquired knowledge give full play to the function of interpretation, this article concerns in particular the folk-individual (actor) and his or her subjective thoughts. This dissertation includes four chapters. Chapter I is "Types and Characteristics of Festivals in Tang Dynasty", which is composed of three parts. Part one is "Items and Types of Festival in Tang Dynasty", which, on the basis of complete data, describes and classifies the basic cases and types of festivals in Tang Dynasty respectively. The division of festival's types based on the chronological order of the emergence of the festivals and the chronological relations of the establishment of Tang Dynasty provides the analytical frame for further study. Part two is "Characteristics of Festivals in Tang Dynasty", examining the common characteristics of festival in Tang, i.e. "the co-existence of the old festivals and the new ones", "more marked hue of entertainment", "the outdoor festival activities in a great sense realizing the transcendence of the tie of blood and geography and coming to the relationship based on spiritual tie", "religious elements existing widely in activities of festival and custom", "wide establishment of the holidays for festivals", "permeation of barbarian fashion", and so on. This part describes festival at the times horizontally and totally. Part three is "Festival's Historical Stages of Tang", which divides festival's development into four historical stages, "festivals during Gaozong and Zhongzong Times", "festivals from Kaiyuan to Xuanzong Times before Anshi Rebellion", "festivals from Anshi Rebellion to Daizong Times", "festivals from Dezong Times to the end of Tang". This part describes Tang's festivals dynamically and longitudinally. Chapter II is the "Study of Emergence of New Festivals", including three parts and an appendix, which makes a study of new festivals during Tang Dynasty. Part one "Constructive festivals I—Xuanzong-Birth-Festival in the Perspective of the Policy Process" ; Part two "Constructive Festivals II-Zhonghe Festival in the Perspective of the Policy Process". Both parts aim to study the constructive festivals in the perspective of the policy process, revealing the progressive veins of each festival and at the same time making a comparison between the two which have the same starting but different ending. This comparison leads to a conclusion: Xuanzong-Birth-Festival aiming at the celebration of the birthday has strong individual color, while Zhonghe Festival aiming at complying with weather and season, attaching importance to agriculture and attending to the basic has the universal adaptation which excels the individual. Based on the comparison, this article advances that the constructive festivals resulted from the implement of the policies are just rulers' interposition by force into common people's daily life, which reveals the will of the rulers; "different constructive festivals has different depth and range, and different destiny, which depends on whether from the content to the design of the festival's activity is proper, reasonable, or possible, and whether the policy's strength and the environment are suitable. Part Three is "The Emergence of Qingming Festival as an Independent Festival", which through probing the state of Qingming Festival in the life and consciousness of people of Tang establishes that it has become an independent festival in the hearts of some people in the Middle Tang Dynasty and explains the reasons from the aspects of the prevalence of Cold Food Festival, the revival of changing fire regulation, the establishment of holidays and festivals, and so on. As far as the author is concerned, the reasons' why the elements mentioned above are used to explain the independence of Qingming Festival lies in the facts that they help people at that time attach more importance to it and carry out similar activities simultaneously on that day, and thus transform Qingming from a part of Cold Food Festival into an independent festival. The attached part is an additional explanation about the emergence of Mid-autumn Festival in Tang Dynasty, declaring that it is undoubted that August 15~(th) had been a festival in Tang Dynasty, though it had not been a national holiday yet, nor had it so colorful custom activities at that time as in the following years. As to the origin of Mid-autumn Festival, this article insists that various factors be taken into consideration rather than single out one reason, which is perhaps more in accordance to the nature of the issue. Chapter III is "The Study of Traditional Festivals", composing of two parts which choose respectively Shangsi Festival and Spring amd Antumn Sacrifices as the objects of analysis, concerning their states of transformation in Tang Dynasty, and attempting to interpret the causes of these changes. Part One is "The Transformation of Shangsi Festival in Tang Dynasty". In comparison with the cases of Shangsi Festival before Tang Dynasty, this part points out that the changes of Shangsi Festival in Tang reflects in "decreasing the activities on shore of water which aims at getting rid of ill luck , instead going for picnic becomes the major custom activities in Shangsi Festival"; "the meeting of men of letters developing from being elegant to being secular "; " the prevalence of king's banquet and the institutionalizing of official's Shangsi feast"; "the permeation of the playful mood in Shangsi Festival in the beginning of Tang Dynasty which is more obvious in Middle Tang Dynasty", etc. The changes of Shangsi Festival are the result of collective functions of various factors, including the relatively peaceful political situation, relatively flourishing economic situation and free cultural situation which produce the popular tendency of entertainment. Besides, the originality of people in Tang and the use of this festival by the supreme ruler, etc. also contribute to the changes of Shangsi Festival. Part Two is "Spring and Autumn Sacrifices: the Public Festival of Country in Tang Dynasty", which on the basis of delineation of the marked time and marked custom of the festival, explains the reasons of the changes of Spring and Autumn Sacrifices in Tang and points out that as two traditional festivals in Tang, they acquires the fundamental strength of being from the constant practices of the festivals by officials and mass before Tang Dynasty. And when Tang Dynasty is founded, supported by local officials and needed by the public in the countryside, the two festivals therefore acquires more powerful vigor and energy and shows a tendency of prevalence. This article also proposes that the goal of the official to support Spring and Autumn Sacrifices is in some degree in conformity with that of the public in the countryside who attend the activities, but the two are not completely in0 agreement. When rulers in name of the government support the sacrifice activities and try to regulate and guide them, the public in their practices do not act in obedience to the regulations of the officials completely, instead they carry out their choices and practices from the needs of their own.Chapter IV is "The Study of Individual Festival Folklore". Different individual functions differently in the heritage and transformation of the festivals, but it is the choices and practices of different individual that hand down or change the collective features of festivals. The subjects of this chapter are Li Longji and Bai Juyi, but the research focuses are different. As to Li Longji, the study tends to center on the roll he played in festivals, and thus illustrates that the once ignored individual practices play an important roll in the heritage and transformation of the collectively-featured festival custom; while as to Bai Juyi, more attention will be paid to his festival life and its reasons, therefore the article tends to demonstrate how super-individual social culture, individual experience and life concept, etc. stamp the brands of circumstance of time and custom as well as the brand of self on festival life via the practices(adherence, utilization rather than blind obedience) of individual on folk regulation. On the basis of discussion of the transformations of festival in Tang Dynasty, the article makes a theoretical summary on the principles of heritage and transformation of festival in Tang in the conclusion part, which points out that "the heritage, transformation and integrity of festivals in Tang Dynasty depend directly on each festival life of individual in a specific register. And when we view festival folklore as a regulation which regulates and guides people when and how to have a festival, the heritage, transformation and integrity of festivals in Tang Dynasty depend on the choice and practice of regulation made by a specific individual (the choice of non-definite folk regulation is also a choice), thereby, the choice and practice of Tang people as actors are the decisive strength of heritage and transformation of Tang festival ".Due to the fact that the actors in Tang(Tang is different from the other dynasties in terms of politics , economics and culture) respect the tradition with a broad heart which absorb the disparity at the same time, they choose and practice the colorful festival activities, which makes Tang Dynasty the most sparkling ring in the chain of whole festival development. On the other hand, there were interactions between festivals and individuals' life style and their spirit world in the Tang dynasty. Festivals constrained people's life rhythm, made their daily life more colorful, produced and maintained their social relationships, excited individual's passion and consciousness of life, as well as cultivated their awareness of identity, feeling of community and the open mind to other nations. All these played important roles in the individual's daily life in the Tang dynasty, and impacted their choice and practice of festival activities.
