A History of the Song Dynasty Too Painful to Look At

Throughout history, no dynasty has been like the Song: militarily weak, yet witnessing rapid literary development and dominating the history of literature; lost in timid dreams, it surrendered its homeland to foreign tribes and bowed beneath their iron hooves. History has never lacked for enthralling tales. Beneath the refined veneer of the Great Song, you can read of the grandeur and composure of the Wine-Cup Ceremony that stripped the generals of their military power, the bold ambition of the Xining Reforms, the stirring and tragic songs of the Four Generals of the Restoration, and the heart-wrenching verses of Yi'an Jushi. Through age-old mysteries such as the Golden Chest Pact, the Shadow of the Candle and the Sound of the Axe, and the Civet Cat for the Crown Prince, you'll fall in love with this three-hundred-year story of an empire.