Li Dongfang Tells History, Continued: A Detailed History of the Song Dynasty

Speaking of the Song Dynasty, how much do we know? This book helps us understand the Song Dynasty better. The Song Dynasty was the dynasty in Chinese history that succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms and led to the Yuan Dynasty. It was divided into two stages, the Northern Song Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty. It experienced a total of eighteen emperors and enjoyed a country of 319 years. The author uses a detailed narrative style to describe the Song Dynasty while adding his own evaluation, expressing his views on this era and expressing his own opinions. When telling, he does not want to be as boring as other books about history. Instead, he uses his own language, humorous and easy to understand. He uses many examples to increase our understanding and make us interested in reading and being understood by the story of the Song Dynasty.

From the title of the book, we can see that this is one of Li Dongfang's histories or a dynasty, but the process of writing the book was somewhat tortuous. Li Dongfang, born in the late Qing Dynasty, is a famous historian and educator. He studied under Liang Qichao, a master of Chinese studies, and later studied in France. After returning to China after completing his studies, he taught at domestic institutions of higher learning such as Tsinghua University and Fudan University. In the 1950s, he co-founded Nanyang University in Singapore with Mr. Lin Yutang. It can be said that he was a master of Eastern and Western knowledge and enthusiastic about education. "Detailed description" of history is an original writing method of interpreting history created by Mr. Li. He is the author of "Three Kingdoms in Detail", "Yuan Dynasty in Detail", "Ming Dynasty in Detail", "Qing Dynasty in Detail", etc., Which have been widely praised by scholars, everyone and readers. Mr. Li was deeply encouraged to start writing about other dynasties. He did not want to suddenly fly away to the west at the age of 92, leaving endless regrets. In order to fulfill Mr. Li's last wish, Mrs. Li Dongfang commissioned the publishing house to invite a number of historians to complete the unfinished historical dynasties according to Mr. Li's writing ideas and structure system of "detailing" history. This book was written with great concentration by Professor Yu Yunguo from the History Department of Shanghai Normal University. He poured the results of more than 20 years of studying Song history into the book, and many of his insights are quite skillful.

The Song Dynasty's diverse history, culture and open environment are second to none in the history of our country. I have always been curious about the customs and appearance of ordinary people in the Song Dynasty, what kind of life they lived, what kind of food they could eat, and what impact important figures in history had on their lives. This book told me the answer in detail. In this book, Yu Yunguo presents the development and changes of the Song Dynasty's politics, economy, culture and other aspects through detailed and rich historical materials and detailed descriptions. Understand the meaning of the must-read books of the Song Dynasty.

The Song Dynasty was a splendid civilization that blossomed at the peak of its economy and culture, but it was a complex dynasty that suffered from military weakness and national humiliation. Its technological glory and urban prosperity were intertwined with iron-blooded tragedies, and ultimately created the glory and sighs of half of the country in the long course of history. May 18, 2025

I especially like the author's narration of major events and important figures, which is both vivid, interesting and informative. Moreover, the "detailed description" format is really unique. It is easy and enjoyable to read, and you can also learn a lot of historical knowledge. I think this book is very suitable for new mothers like me, who can enjoy reading while taking care of their babies.

Although the writing is brief, it is still good. Unlike that book, if this is the history of the Song Dynasty, you will compile the historical materials yourself.

Chapter after chapter jumps out on the page, and sections of Song history appear in it! Ordinary words, exciting history! Mesmerizing.

It combines authority and interest, so just read it carefully and remember it well.

You can have an understanding of the historical context of the Song Dynasty, and at the same time you can see the customs and customs of that time.