Political Systems and Political Culture in the Late Northern Song

This book examines the political history of the Northern Song under Emperor Zhezong and Emperor Huizong, from 1085 to 1125.

To avoid reducing political history to a history of political infighting, this book reexamines the complex political changes of the late Northern Song through the lenses of political institutions and political culture, in an effort to understand the distinctive nature of politics in ancient Chinese dynasties.

First, the book consistently centers on the major theme of "scholar-official politics" in the Song dynasty. It traces how its ideals, with their many layers, gradually became distorted in late Northern Song political practice. The political problems of the period, including factional strife and corruption, which previous scholars have often emphasized, were byproducts of this distortion.

Second, from the perspectives of technology and ideas, the book shows that imperial politics in the late Northern Song was flexible and diverse, rather than following a fixed trajectory. This approach also moves beyond general discussions of whether imperial power was strong or weak, seeking a new way to understand dynastic institutions.