Buddhism's Relationship with the Tang Government Since the introduction of Buddhism into China, it was not well received by the population as its foreign beliefs clashed with the pre-existing principles of Confucianism and Taoism. Besides that, he was alienated by the Confucianism-based government at the end of the Han Dynasty. All in all, Buddhism was not a common nor popular religion throughout China at first. However, everything changed with the rise of the Tang Dynasty. There is no doubt that Buddhism and the Tang administration under Wu's reign formed a fundamental symbiotic relationship with each other. Buddhism played a vital role in justifying Empress Wu's rule. She enthroned herself as China's monarch, an extraordinarily difficult achievement for a woman in a male-dominated society, associating herself with Buddhism: proclaiming herself Maitreya and bringing a utopian era for the Chinese. (Smarr, February 17, 2012) At the same time, Buddhism has benefited generously from government support, as monasteries are exempt from taxes and are supported financially by the state, as seen in A Pilgrim's Visit to the Five Terraces Mountains, which at end has led to substantial growth in the attraction of Buddhist converts and Buddhism itself. Wu's extensive support of religion with ostentatious gifts and donations contributed to the rapid proliferation of Buddhism. Evidently, the mutually beneficial relationship between Buddhism and the state is crucial for mutual survival during Wu's sovereignty, but to what extent did his financial support (donations to monasteries) for Buddhism improve governance overall? The close link between government and religion is not a new concept... middle of paper... more than occupied communities for monks and a stopover for merchants, "monasteries [are now] engaged in banking or lending of money, and many others maintained schools that provided basic education to the local populations” (TE 295) With the favor of the people and in combination with the approval of Wu and his state, Buddhism and monasteries flourished and became. integral part of Chinese culture by providing education and economic services to return the favor, thus strengthening the symbiotic role between government and religion. The monasteries' “engagement in banking [and] money lending activities” is a sign that monasteries do not. they no longer just serve a monotonous purpose, but which now play an integrated role with China's culture and economy as they are a crucial point in gradually building China's robust economy into a mutually beneficial relationship.