What was the social status of warriors during the Five Dynasties period? Why does the phenomenon of loyalty and rebellion occur? Is it true that warriors are the source of social unrest as Song Taizu said? Did the Five Dynasties really "emphasize martial arts over literature"? Was it true that the early Song Dynasty "emphasized literature and suppressed military power"? ... Reveal the ups and downs of the five generations of warriors hidden in the epitaph inscriptions.
By interpreting the epitaphs and inscriptions of warriors of the Five Dynasties, this book provides new materials for the study of class mobility and civil and military exchanges during the Five Dynasties. The book analyzes and interprets the family structure, official experience, promotion paths, concepts and beliefs of the five generations of warriors from three aspects: how literati wrote about warriors, the literary affairs and martial arts of warriors, and the descendants and transformations of warriors. It also explores and re-evaluates the historical role and status of warriors from the Five Dynasties to the early Song Dynasty. In addition, the author also raises a series of enlightening issues, such as: whether the warriors made a certain contribution to "bringing rule", and not just "causing chaos" as Song Taizu said; whether the warriors' moral character and beliefs met the strict standards of Confucianism; etc. It can be said that this book is an epoch-making achievement that traces the origins of the scholar-official bureaucracy in the Song Dynasty from the "wu" of the Five Dynasties, and explains it through the expression of "literary" such as stone tablets and stone carvings.
Reader comments
The writing style of this book is very rigorous. By interpreting the epitaphs and inscriptions of warriors from the Five Dynasties, it re-evaluates the historical role and status of warriors from the Five Dynasties to the early Song Dynasty. The content is detailed, the writing is fluent, and the authors raised many enlightening issues, which made me think more deeply about the history of the Five Dynasties period. Well worth reading!
The writing style of this book is very rigorous. By interpreting the epitaphs and inscriptions of warriors from the Five Dynasties, it re-evaluates the historical role and status of warriors from the Five Dynasties to the early Song Dynasty. The content is detailed, the writing is fluent, and the authors raised many enlightening issues, which made me think more deeply about the history of the Five Dynasties period. Well worth reading!