The Many Faces of the Song Dynasty: Scholar-Officials in Letters Passed Down Through the Ages

Drawing on more than 120 private letters exchanged between scholar-officials of the Song dynasty, this book reexamines isolated fragments of history in light of historical records. It weaves the people, events, and objects mentioned in the letters, along with the stories behind them, into complete narratives. Through five themes, the battlefield, officialdom, scholarship, human relationships, and life and death, it explores Song literati’s social connections, political leanings, inner feelings, and levels of talent. The book ultimately pieces together a portrait of the shared character traits of people in the Song dynasty against the broader historical backdrop. It also “deciphers” the tumultuous inner worlds and distinctive personalities of individual scholars through the emotionally charged handwriting of figures such as Fan Zhongyan, Ouyang Xiu, Sima Guang, and Su Shi.