After the Tang dynasty fell, China went 72 years without anyone in charge.
Five dynasties took turns ruling the north. Emperors served an average of four years, and their death rate was higher than that of war correspondents. Ten small kingdoms in the south lay flat and watched the spectacle from across the river, making it history's greatest double act.
Then Zhao Kuangyin arrived, with a cup of wine and a distinctive face, and put an end to the farce.
This book is about the Song dynasty, but the story of the Song has to begin with this great upheaval. After all, you can't understand why things became so stable later without knowing just how insane they were before.
