Han Chinese and barbarians intermingled and the capital Chang-an was one of the world's greatest cities. However, in those days military prowess was prized over skill in the arts. As a result, many among the literati took to referring to themselves as knights-errant.
大唐盛世，氣闊恢弘，漢番夾處，首都長安曾是國際大都會，社會風氣重武輕文，不僅唐朝文人都以俠客自居，「豪俠」更是唐朝傳奇小說三大表現題材之一。