The History of the Song Dynasty, Worth Staying Up All Night to Finish

Compared with unified dynasties such as the Qin, Han, Sui, Tang, Ming, and Qing, the Song dynasty can only be called partially unified. The Southern Song, in fact, does not even qualify as partially unified. Yet the two Song dynasties together lasted 319 years, far longer than the Tang, Ming, or Qing, surpassed only by the two Han dynasties. Their flourishing economy, brilliant culture, and vibrant intellectual life are also worthy of praise by later generations. The modern historian Chen Yinke once declared with delight, "The culture of the Chinese people, developed over thousands of years, reached its peak under the Tianshui dynasty." The "Tianshui dynasty" refers to the Song dynasty. So what fascinating events took place over the long history of the two Song dynasties, and what intriguing figures emerged? This book tells you all about them.