Asking Song: The Gains and Losses of the Zhao Song Dynasty’s Domestic and Foreign Policies

After the Song Dynasty brought the chaos of the Five Dynasties period to an end, it established a regime that lasted for more than three centuries. As society changed over the course of the dynasty, Song politics saw rich and complex developments, alongside an underlying continuity that endured throughout. Broadly speaking, the Song faced constant foreign threats but suffered few internal crises. This pattern had institutional causes, though chance events in specific historical episodes should not be overlooked.

Written for general readers by You Biao, an expert in Song history who draws on thirty years of research and reflection, this book offers an accessible account of Song political history. Rather than attempting to cover every aspect of the dynasty, it combines broad themes with carefully chosen details. From the establishment of the founding emperors’ family rules in the early Song to the fall of the Southern Song at the Battle of Yashan, it selects the people and events that best illustrate the political character of each period. Through narrative, it develops its arguments and traces the broader currents of the times, power structures, and political themes of each era. It also explores the interplay between scholarship and politics, as well as the Song’s relations with neighboring regimes ruled by ethnic minorities. In this way, the author aims to explain clearly the gains and losses of domestic and foreign policy in each period and to grasp the underlying logic behind political change across the two Song dynasties.