Historical Dictionary of Medieval China
By (author) Victor Cunrui Xiong
Publication date:
06 April 2017Length of book:
1006 pagesPublisher
Rowman & Littlefield PublishersISBN-13: 9781442276154
The crucial period of Chinese history, 168-979, falls naturally into contrasting phases. The first phase, also known as that of 'early medieval China,' is an age of political decentralization. Following the breakup of the Han empire, China was plunged into civil war and fragmentation and stayed divided for nearly four centuries. The second phase started in 589, during the Sui dynasty, when China was once again brought under a single government. Under the Sui, the bureaucracy was revitalized, the military strengthened, and the taxation system reformed. The fall of the Sui in 618 gave way to the even stronger Tang dynasty, which represents an apogee of traditional Chinese civilization. Inheriting all the great institutions developed under the Sui, the Tang made great achievements in poetry, painting, music, and architecture. The An Lushan rebellion, which also took place during Tang rule, brought about far-reaching changes in the socioeconomic, political, and military arenas. What transpired in the second half of the Tang and the ensuing Five Dynasties provided the foundation for the next age of late imperial China.
This second edition of Historical Dictionary of Medieval China contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 1000 cross-referenced entries on historical figure. It expands on existing thematic entries, and adds a number of new ones with substantial content, including those on nobility, art, architecture, archaeology, economy, agriculture, money, population, cities, literature, historiography, military, religion, Persia, India, Japan, Korea, Arabs, and Byzantium, among others. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about medieval China.
This second edition of Historical Dictionary of Medieval China contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 1000 cross-referenced entries on historical figure. It expands on existing thematic entries, and adds a number of new ones with substantial content, including those on nobility, art, architecture, archaeology, economy, agriculture, money, population, cities, literature, historiography, military, religion, Persia, India, Japan, Korea, Arabs, and Byzantium, among others. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about medieval China.
Covering an extensive period—from the end of Han in the late second century to the beginning of Song in the late tenth—this updated edition features historical figures, places, events, movements, agencies and offices, works of art and literature, and more. The volume contains maps of China during the various dynastic periods, a lengthy introduction, a chronology, and other supporting materials. Historian Xiong author of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty: His Life, Times, and Legacy, has added more than 1,500 new entries with extensive cross-references to the approximately 5,000 entries of the 2009 first edition (reissued in paperback as The A to Z of Medieval China in 2010). The author has also expanded the chronology and updated the bibliography with recent scholarship. Entries are typically a few lines to a half page long, and each provides the Chinese characters for the term, approximate dates when relevant, geographical area, a brief definition or explanation, and reference to Chinese sources when applicable. Thematic entries, many new in this second edition, are longer—from a half page (e.g., ‘nobility’) to three pages (e.g., ‘literature’). The work is a commendable undertaking and a valuable reference tool for Chinese studies.
Summing Up: Recommended. Advanced students through researchers/faculty.
Summing Up: Recommended. Advanced students through researchers/faculty.