The story begins in 960, the first year of the Jianlong era under Emperor Taizu of Song, amid the Chenqiao Mutiny and the founding of the Song dynasty. It ends in 980, the fifth year of Emperor Taizong’s Taiping Xingguo era, spanning twenty pivotal years. It covers key historical events, including Taizu’s “cup of wine to surrender military power,” the wars of unification that conquered the south before turning north, including the fall of Southern Tang, Later Shu, and Southern Han; the controversy surrounding Taizong’s accession; the first battles against the Liao; the refinement of the imperial examination system; and the revival of urban commerce. Eschewing fanciful retellings, the story respects the historical realities of the early Song: the beginnings of “valuing civil officials and restraining the military,” the lingering influence of regional military governors, economic differences between north and south, and the beginnings of foreign exchange, including the early Maritime Silk Road. Food and travel are woven naturally into the tides of the times, bringing both everyday life and the fate of the realm into view.
