Song Huizong
About This Novel
During the reign of Song Huizong, China was almost the most advanced country in the world. During his more than twenty years in power, this artistically gifted emperor led the Song Dynasty to its cultural peak. However, because he was captured by the Jurchens and eventually died in a foreign country, Song Huizong was considered by later generations to be a failed emperor and a negative example of moral education. Professor Yi Peixia worked hard for decades to write "Song Huizong", which became the first complete biography of the emperor in the English-speaking world, trying to correct the public's prejudice against Huizong as "corrupt and mediocre". Yi Peixia reshapes the image of Song Huizong, puts him back into the historical context, and restores the ambition of a monarch of a prosperous country to constantly pursue excellence and glory - even though this ambition ended in tragedy. Huizong struggled to rise above court factionalism early in his reign, then turned his attention to his areas of expertise. He greatly expanded the court's charity and established official schools, hospitals, orphanages, and beggars' cemeteries. As an artist, he was surrounded by outstanding poets, painters, and musicians. He also built magnificent palaces, temples, and gardens that would be almost unsurpassed by later generations. He favored Taoist priests, annotated the Taoist scriptures, and allowed his subjects to accept and practice this belief. However, his piety to Taoism eventually deviated from the mainstream of Confucianism, weakening his ability to govern the country.
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