A Plain-Language Guide to the Stories of the Song Dynasty

Everyone says the Great Song was wealthy and prosperous, with a full treasury and bustling markets. Yet this dynasty, richer than any under heaven, could never quite hold on to its own territory. The Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun were a thorn in its side. From the yellow robe at Chenqiao Post to the hundred thousand corpses floating off Yashan, the 319-year Great Song dynasty was one of the greatest contradictions in Chinese history: its economy was the most prosperous, its culture the most flourishing, and its scholars lived with the greatest dignity, yet it suffered the most humiliating defeats. Grounded in official histories and told in plain language, this book begins with Zhao Kuangyin’s résumé and takes you through the banquet where he stripped his generals of command, the snowy night of the axe and candle shadows, the peace treaty beneath Chanzhou, Wang Anshi’s ledger, the humiliation of the Jingkang Incident, the wrongful imprisonment at Windwave Pavilion, and finally the last banner at the Battle of Yashan. It explores not only political intrigue, but the human heart; it depicts a golden age without overlooking its flaws. History is complicated, but it can still make for a great story.