Allied with Tang China, Silla defeats Baekje and Goguryeo, unifying most of the Korean Peninsula for the first time.
Wu Zetian founds her own Zhou dynasty, becoming the only officially recognised female emperor in Chinese history.
The Japanese court launches reforms modelled on Tang China, centralising power around the emperor.
Li Bai, the 'Immortal Poet' and one of the greatest poets of the Tang dynasty, is born.
The monk Xuanzang travels to India and brings back hundreds of Buddhist texts, which he translates into Chinese.
Li Shimin kills two rival brothers and soon takes the throne as Emperor Taizong, whose reign is remembered as a golden age.
The capital Heijō-kyō, modelled on Chang'an, is established, beginning the Nara period.