The World of the Feudal Lords

In the Spring and Autumn period, the royal house grew ever weaker as warlords vied for supremacy: the strong survived, and the weak perished. How did Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Wen of Jin earn prestige and establish their dominance in such turbulent times? Why did Hua Du and Nangong Wan murder their rulers? The story of the “Orphan of the Zhao Family” has been famous for ages, but does it truly accord with history? Drawing on thirty years of scholarship, renowned scholar Huang Pumin returns to the text of the Zuo Zhuan, surveys historical sources and anecdotes, and explores the Spring and Autumn period through the subtleties of human nature, taking readers back to an age when “rites and music, punishment and warfare, came from the feudal lords.”