Podcasts about huizong

Once again, as a regular feature to the CHP, I'm including the latest Chinese Sayings Podcast offering. This one may be a bit of a departure from the average CSP episode. The Chinese Saying for this time is Jiǎn Bú Duàn, Lǐ Hái Luàn-剪不断 理还乱. Many Chinese poetry lovers and aficionados may already be familiar with this line from the 10th-century poem 相见欢. Today's CSP offering is more of a history lesson than an introduction to a chengyu but it's worth it to hear it out to the end. The star of this episode is the final ruler of the Southern Tang Dynasty. Like his kindred spirit emperor Huizong of the Northern Song, Li Yu 李煜 of Southern Tang wasn't much of a ruler. But what he lacked in leadership ability he made up for it with his great literary skills, especially where cí 词 poetry was concerned. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Once again, as a regular feature to the CHP, I'm including the latest Chinese Sayings Podcast offering. This one may be a bit of a departure from the average CSP episode. The Chinese Saying for this time is Jiǎn Bú Duàn, Lǐ Hái Luàn-剪不断 理还乱. Many Chinese poetry lovers and aficionados may already be familiar with this line from the 10th-century poem 相见欢. Today's CSP offering is more of a history lesson than an introduction to a chengyu but it's worth it to hear it out to the end. The star of this episode is the final ruler of the Southern Tang Dynasty. Like his kindred spirit emperor Huizong of the Northern Song, Li Yu 李煜 of Southern Tang wasn't much of a ruler. But what he lacked in leadership ability he made up for it with his great literary skills, especially where cí 词 poetry was concerned. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This one may be a bit of a departure from the average CSP episode. The Chinese Saying for this time is Jiǎn Bú Duàn, Lǐ Hái Luàn-剪不断 理还乱. Many Chinese poetry lovers and aficionados may already be familiar with this line from the 10th-century poem 相见欢. Today's CSP offering is more of a history lesson than an introduction to a chengyu but it's worth it to hear it out to the end. The star of this episode is the final ruler of the Southern Tang Dynasty. Like his kindred spirit emperor Huizong of the Northern Song, Li Yu of Southern Tang wasn't much of a ruler. But what he lacked in leadership ability he made up for it with his great literary skills, especially where cí 词 poetry was concerned. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This one may be a bit of a departure from the average CSP episode. The Chinese Saying for this time is Jiǎn Bú Duàn, Lǐ Hái Luàn-剪不断 理还乱. Many Chinese poetry lovers and aficionados may already be familiar with this line from the 10th-century poem 相见欢. Today's CSP offering is more of a history lesson than an introduction to a chengyu but it's worth it to hear it out to the end. The star of this episode is the final ruler of the Southern Tang Dynasty. Like his kindred spirit emperor Huizong of the Northern Song, Li Yu of Southern Tang wasn't much of a ruler. But what he lacked in leadership ability he made up for it with his great literary skills, especially where cí 词 poetry was concerned. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Once again, as a regular feature to the CHP, I'm including the latest Chinese Sayings Podcast offering. This one may be a bit of a departure from the average CSP episode. The Chinese Saying for this time is Jiǎn Bú Duàn, Lǐ Hái Luàn-剪不断 理还乱. Many Chinese poetry lovers and aficionados may already be familiar with this line from the 10th-century poem 相见欢. Today's CSP offering is more of a history lesson than an introduction to a chengyu but it's worth it to hear it out to the end. The star of this episode is the final ruler of the Southern Tang Dynasty. Like his kindred spirit emperor Huizong of the Northern Song, Li Yu 李煜 of Southern Tang wasn't much of a ruler. But what he lacked in leadership ability he made up for it with his great literary skills, especially where cí 词 poetry was concerned. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Once again, as a regular feature to the CHP, I'm including the latest Chinese Sayings Podcast offering. This one may be a bit of a departure from the average CSP episode. The Chinese Saying for this time is Jiǎn Bú Duàn, Lǐ Hái Luàn-剪不断 理还乱. Many Chinese poetry lovers and aficionados may already be familiar with this line from the 10th-century poem 相见欢. Today's CSP offering is more of a history lesson than an introduction to a chengyu but it's worth it to hear it out to the end. The star of this episode is the final ruler of the Southern Tang Dynasty. Like his kindred spirit emperor Huizong of the Northern Song, Li Yu 李煜 of Southern Tang wasn't much of a ruler. But what he lacked in leadership ability he made up for it with his great literary skills, especially where cí 词 poetry was concerned. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This one may be a bit of a departure from the average CSP episode. The Chinese Saying for this time is Jiǎn Bú Duàn, Lǐ Hái Luàn-剪不断 理还乱. Many Chinese poetry lovers and aficionados may already be familiar with this line from the 10th-century poem 相见欢. Today's CSP offering is more of a history lesson than an introduction to a chengyu but it's worth it to hear it out to the end. The star of this episode is the final ruler of the Southern Tang Dynasty. Like his kindred spirit emperor Huizong of the Northern Song, Li Yu of Southern Tang wasn't much of a ruler. But what he lacked in leadership ability he made up for it with his great literary skills, especially where cí 词 poetry was concerned. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This one may be a bit of a departure from the average CSP episode. The Chinese Saying for this time is Jiǎn Bú Duàn, Lǐ Hái Luàn-剪不断 理还乱. Many Chinese poetry lovers and aficionados may already be familiar with this line from the 10th-century poem 相见欢. Today's CSP offering is more of a history lesson than an introduction to a chengyu but it's worth it to hear it out to the end. The star of this episode is the final ruler of the Southern Tang Dynasty. Like his kindred spirit emperor Huizong of the Northern Song, Li Yu of Southern Tang wasn't much of a ruler. But what he lacked in leadership ability he made up for it with his great literary skills, especially where cí 词 poetry was concerned. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In America, we have Washington Irving, Mark Twain, Hemingway, and so on. In China, Su Dongpo, (also known referred to as Su Shi) would be mentioned when rattling off their best of the best. He was definitely a major guy not only in the Song but in the overall world of Chinese culture as well.   If you're interested to check out some of his poetry, here's an amazon link to a book of his poems translated by Burton Watson: Selected Poems of Su T'ung-P'o  TERMS FROM THIS EPISODE  Ouyang Xiu 欧阳修 1007-1072 Northern Song statesman, historian, calligrapher, literatus extraordinaire Wang Xizhi   王羲之 Called arguably the greatest Chinese calligrapher Zhou   周 1046 BCE - 256 BCE Ancient dynasty of China Han   汉   206 BCE - 220 CE Ancient dynasty of China Jin   晋 265-420 Ancient dynasty of China Sui   隋 581-618 Ancient dynasty of China Tang 唐 618-907 Ancient dynasty of China Song   宋 960-1279 Ancient dynasty of China Kaifeng   开封 Capital of the Northern Song dynasty 960-1127 Northern Song 北宋 960-1127 Huizong   徽宗 The Northern Song emperor who "lost China" to the Jürchens Su Dongpo   苏东坡 1037 - 1101 Our subject in this episode Su Shi   苏轼 Su Dongpo's birth name Tang Song Ba Da Jia   唐宋八大家 "Eight Great Men of Letters of the Tang and Song Dynasty Han Yu   韩愈 768-824 - Tang essayist and poet. Major influence in development of Chinese literature Liu Zongyuan 柳宗元 773-819 Tang waster of prose and poetry Su Xun 苏洵 1009-1066 - Great man of letters and Father of Su Shi and Su Zhe Su Zhe 苏辙   1039-1112 - Brother of Su Shi, also a great man of letters Wang Anshi   王安石 1021-1086 - Song statesman and father of far reaching reforms. Also a great literary figure in his day. Zeng Gong   曾鞏 1019-1083 - Great prose master of the Song Hangzhou   杭州 Capital of Zhejiang and of dynasties past. Su Dongpo served there twice Zhejiang   浙江 Province in east China Meishan   眉山 City south of Chengdu, birthplace of the Three Su's, Su Xun, Su Dongpo and Su Zhe. Min River 岷江 Yangzi tributary river in Sichuan, famous for the Duijangyan irrigation system Leshan 乐山 City in Sichuan Ya'an   雅安 Great tea city near Chengdu in Sichuan Chengdu   成都 Ancient capital of Shu Kingdom, now capital of Sichuan jinshi   进士   The highest degree that allowed you to fill the top positions in government Wang Fu 王弗 1039-1065 - First wife of Su Dongpo Henan  河南 Province in north China where it all began doucha   斗茶 "Tea Battles" that were popular during the Song Wang Runzhi   王闰之 1048-1093 2nd wife of Su Dongpo Su Di   苏堤 the Su Causeway across West Lake in Hangzhou Xin Fa   新法 The New Policies championed by the Shenzong Emperor and Wang Anshi Shenzong    神宗 1048-1085 - Northern Song Emperor and Wang Anshi supporter Sima Guang   司马光 1019-1086 Conservative Song scholar and official, writer of the Zizhi Tongijan Luoyang   洛阳 City in Henan and former ancient capital of past dynasties. Cheng Yi 程颐  One of the pride of Luoyang, Chinese philosopher Zizhi Tongjian, the "Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance" A monumental historical work covering Chinese history from 403 BCE to 959 CE Wutai Poem Incident 乌台诗案 In 1079, a poem by Su Shi got him in trouble and exiled fron the capital. Huangzhou 黄州 Former name of Huanggang, now a district of that city Hubei   湖北 Central province in China, capital is at Wuhan Huanggang   黄冈 City just east of Wuhan in Hubei Province Dongpo 东坡 Eastern slope Dongpo Jushi 东坡居士 Dongpo, the retired scholar or Buddhist. Chibi Fu   赤壁赋 Ode to Red Cliffs, famous poem by Su Shi Hou Chibi Fu   后赤壁赋   The Later Ode to Red Cliffs, famous poem by Su Shi Nian Nujiao Chibi Huaigu 念奴娇赤壁怀古 Remembering Chibi, Su Shi's third poem in this series about Red Cliffs Zhuge Liang   诸葛亮 Great Shu-Han strategist during Three Kingdoms Period Lu Su 鲁肃 Politician and general who worked for Sun Quan Zhou Yu 周瑜 One of Sun Quan's main generals Cheng Pu 程普 Another of Sun Quan's main generals Sun Quan 孙权 Emperor of Eastern Wu, one of the Three Kingdoms Liu Bei   刘备 Emperor of Shu Han, one of the Three Kingdoms Cao Cao   曹操 King of Wei, one of the Three Kingdoms Fu 赋 One of the three main types of Chinese Poetry, like rhymed prose Ci 词 One of the three main types of Chinese Poetry, like lyric poetry Han Shi Tie 寒食帖 Su Shi's most famous calligraphic work, now hanging in the National Palace Museum in Taipei Huang Tingjian   黄庭坚 1045-1105 artist, scholar, official, a great Northern Song Master Mi Fu 米芾 1051-1107 Great Song painter and calligrapher Cai Xiang   蔡襄 1012-1067 One of the great calligraphers of the Northern Song Song Si Jia 宋四家 the Four Great Calligraphers of the Song Han Shi 寒食 is the holiday that occurs right before Qingming in April Yan Zhenqing 颜真卿 708-785 Great calligrapher of the Tang and one of the greatest of all time Zhezong 哲宗 Northern Song emperor, Reigned 1085-1100 Empress Dowager Gao 高太皇后 1032-1093 Empress of Northern Song emperor Yingzong, regent for Zhezong during his minority. Dongpo Rou 东坡肉 Dongpo Pork Zuo Zongtang 左宗棠   Hunan-born general from the Qing, the man who brought us General Tso's Chicken Lou Wai Lou 楼外楼 Not the best restaurant in Hangzhou but one of the most famous. Been around over one hundred fifty years Ni Zan, the late Yuan-early Ming painter. Xu Wei, the Ming painter Yuan Mei, the Qing dynasty scholar and artist. Yuanyou era 元祐 Conservative era in Emperor Zhezong's reign that lasted 1086 to 1093 Huizhou 惠州 City in Guangdong where Su Dongpo served a stint Hainan   海南 Island province off the coast of Guangdong Danzhou   儋州 Coastal city in Hainan just west of Haikou Haikou   海口 Capital city of Hainan Dongpo Shuyuan   东坡书院 Wang Zhaoyun   王朝云 1062-1095 - 3rd wife of Su Dongpo Changzhou   常州 City in Jiangsu Jiangsu   江苏 Coastal province just north of Zhejiang Cai Jing   蔡京 Long serving chancellor to Emperor Huizong Cai Tao 蔡绦 Son of Cai Jing who had the audacity to say something nice about Su Dongpo Shi 诗 The word meaning all Chinese poetry but also a specific kind as well. Su Men Si Xueshi 苏门四学士 The Four Scholars at Su Shi's Gate Zhang Lei   张耒 1054-1114 One of the four scholars famous for being part of Su Shi's gang Chao Buzhi 晁补之 One of the four scholars famous for being part of Su Shi's gang Qin Guan   秦观 1049-1100 - Northern Song writer and poet. Also one of the four scholars famous for being part of Su Shi's gang Jin 金朝 The Jin Dynasty of the Jürchens 1115-1234  

The Song Chinese emperor Huizong (r. 1100-1126 CE) has long been regarded as a failure due to his dynasty’s defeat in their war against the Jurchens. In Emperor Huizong (Harvard University Press, 2014), however, Patricia Buckley Ebrey offers a more nuanced interpretation of his life and reign. Ebrey provides readers with a portrait of Huizong as a devout Daoist who devoted considerable attention to artistic interests. Focusing on Huizong’s efforts as an artist and collector, Ebrey presents him as an emperor of noteworthy cultural significance, one who not only was one of the leading calligraphers of his age but who made notable contributions to painting and poetry as well. Ebrey also examines Huizong’s role as a ruler, analyzing his relationships with his officials and how those relationships shaped the policies of his government. What emerges from her pages is the story of an emperor who, by favoring aesthetic concerns over administrative matters, made errors in judgment that in the end brought about his abdication and captivity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Song Chinese emperor Huizong (r. 1100-1126 CE) has long been regarded as a failure due to his dynasty’s defeat in their war against the Jurchens. In Emperor Huizong (Harvard University Press, 2014), however, Patricia Buckley Ebrey offers a more nuanced interpretation of his life and reign. Ebrey provides readers with a portrait of Huizong as a devout Daoist who devoted considerable attention to artistic interests. Focusing on Huizong’s efforts as an artist and collector, Ebrey presents him as an emperor of noteworthy cultural significance, one who not only was one of the leading calligraphers of his age but who made notable contributions to painting and poetry as well. Ebrey also examines Huizong’s role as a ruler, analyzing his relationships with his officials and how those relationships shaped the policies of his government. What emerges from her pages is the story of an emperor who, by favoring aesthetic concerns over administrative matters, made errors in judgment that in the end brought about his abdication and captivity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Song Chinese emperor Huizong (r. 1100-1126 CE) has long been regarded as a failure due to his dynasty’s defeat in their war against the Jurchens. In Emperor Huizong (Harvard University Press, 2014), however, Patricia Buckley Ebrey offers a more nuanced interpretation of his life and reign. Ebrey provides readers... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Song Chinese emperor Huizong (r. 1100-1126 CE) has long been regarded as a failure due to his dynasty’s defeat in their war against the Jurchens. In Emperor Huizong (Harvard University Press, 2014), however, Patricia Buckley Ebrey offers a more nuanced interpretation of his life and reign. Ebrey provides readers with a portrait of Huizong as a devout Daoist who devoted considerable attention to artistic interests. Focusing on Huizong’s efforts as an artist and collector, Ebrey presents him as an emperor of noteworthy cultural significance, one who not only was one of the leading calligraphers of his age but who made notable contributions to painting and poetry as well. Ebrey also examines Huizong’s role as a ruler, analyzing his relationships with his officials and how those relationships shaped the policies of his government. What emerges from her pages is the story of an emperor who, by favoring aesthetic concerns over administrative matters, made errors in judgment that in the end brought about his abdication and captivity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ink landscape painting was distinctive to the Song dynasty, and the Northern Song period was a special time for the medium. By the tenth century, this kind of painting emerged as a “scholars’ category” whose “values were especially worthy of support” in critical scholarly discourse, according to Ping Foong‘s fascinating new book. Bringing together paintings, poems, colophons, texts about painting, and other sources, Efficacious Landscape: On the Authorities of Painting at the Northern Song Court (Harvard University Asia Center, 2015) looks carefully at the imperial establishment’s efforts “to cultivate the genre of ink landscape painting and its iconography as a dynastic project.” In a story that focuses on Shenzong’s favorite painter: Guo Xi (after 1000-ca. 1090), Part I of The Efficacious Landscape brings readers into the spaces of the Song imperial city and their political connotations, from a careful exploration of the political import of the paintings decorating the walls of the Hanlin Institute, to a reading of unusually-juxtaposed works by Guo Xi and Li Gonglin as political commentaries on contemporary ritual and reform, to an argument about the court’s imbrication in creating a particular lineage of ink landscape painters. Part II looks at the significance and outcome of a century of the court investing in ink landscape as a cultural medium as it gained new social status and dimensions, due in part to the appearance of intimate landscape painting scenes inspired by the work of Guo Xi. This part of the book features a wonderful and surprising reading of the Metropolitan Museum of Art handscroll by Guo Xi, Old Trees, Level Distance that places a careful analysis of the scroll into conversation with the poetry of Su Shi and his colleagues. This part of the book also shows how intimate landscape paintings became socially acceptable outlets of expression, as they were used as private communications between scholars and forms of social currency exchanged on particular social occasions. The book concludes by reconsidering Guo Xi’s legacy under Huizong. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ink landscape painting was distinctive to the Song dynasty, and the Northern Song period was a special time for the medium. By the tenth century, this kind of painting emerged as a “scholars’ category” whose “values were especially worthy of support” in critical scholarly discourse, according to Ping Foong‘s fascinating new book. Bringing together paintings, poems, colophons, texts about painting, and other sources, Efficacious Landscape: On the Authorities of Painting at the Northern Song Court (Harvard University Asia Center, 2015) looks carefully at the imperial establishment’s efforts “to cultivate the genre of ink landscape painting and its iconography as a dynastic project.” In a story that focuses on Shenzong’s favorite painter: Guo Xi (after 1000-ca. 1090), Part I of The Efficacious Landscape brings readers into the spaces of the Song imperial city and their political connotations, from a careful exploration of the political import of the paintings decorating the walls of the Hanlin Institute, to a reading of unusually-juxtaposed works by Guo Xi and Li Gonglin as political commentaries on contemporary ritual and reform, to an argument about the court’s imbrication in creating a particular lineage of ink landscape painters. Part II looks at the significance and outcome of a century of the court investing in ink landscape as a cultural medium as it gained new social status and dimensions, due in part to the appearance of intimate landscape painting scenes inspired by the work of Guo Xi. This part of the book features a wonderful and surprising reading of the Metropolitan Museum of Art handscroll by Guo Xi, Old Trees, Level Distance that places a careful analysis of the scroll into conversation with the poetry of Su Shi and his colleagues. This part of the book also shows how intimate landscape paintings became socially acceptable outlets of expression, as they were used as private communications between scholars and forms of social currency exchanged on particular social occasions. The book concludes by reconsidering Guo Xi’s legacy under Huizong. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ink landscape painting was distinctive to the Song dynasty, and the Northern Song period was a special time for the medium. By the tenth century, this kind of painting emerged as a “scholars’ category” whose “values were especially worthy of support” in critical scholarly discourse, according to Ping Foong‘s fascinating new book. Bringing together paintings, poems, colophons, texts about painting, and other sources, Efficacious Landscape: On the Authorities of Painting at the Northern Song Court (Harvard University Asia Center, 2015) looks carefully at the imperial establishment’s efforts “to cultivate the genre of ink landscape painting and its iconography as a dynastic project.” In a story that focuses on Shenzong’s favorite painter: Guo Xi (after 1000-ca. 1090), Part I of The Efficacious Landscape brings readers into the spaces of the Song imperial city and their political connotations, from a careful exploration of the political import of the paintings decorating the walls of the Hanlin Institute, to a reading of unusually-juxtaposed works by Guo Xi and Li Gonglin as political commentaries on contemporary ritual and reform, to an argument about the court’s imbrication in creating a particular lineage of ink landscape painters. Part II looks at the significance and outcome of a century of the court investing in ink landscape as a cultural medium as it gained new social status and dimensions, due in part to the appearance of intimate landscape painting scenes inspired by the work of Guo Xi. This part of the book features a wonderful and surprising reading of the Metropolitan Museum of Art handscroll by Guo Xi, Old Trees, Level Distance that places a careful analysis of the scroll into conversation with the poetry of Su Shi and his colleagues. This part of the book also shows how intimate landscape paintings became socially acceptable outlets of expression, as they were used as private communications between scholars and forms of social currency exchanged on particular social occasions. The book concludes by reconsidering Guo Xi’s legacy under Huizong. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this final installment of the history of the life and times of the emperor Huizong, we look at the series of events that followed the Jürchens' Seige of Kaifeng in 1126-1127. What followed was the Jingkang Incident, which for centuries made the Chinese bow their heads in shame. The entire Song imperial family was captured and sent north to live out the rest of their lives in the harsh lands far beyond The Great Wall. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this final installment of the history of the life and times of the emperor Huizong, we look at the series of events that followed the Jürchens’ Seige of Kaifeng in 1126-1127.  What followed was the Jingkang Incident, which for centuries made the Chinese bow their heads in shame.   The entire Song imperial family was captured and sent north to live out the rest of their lives in the harsh lands far beyond The Great Wall.  But the Jin conquerors did not destroy the Song. The Zhao family continued to keep the dynasty alive in the south. 

We continue in this episode examining the second decade of Huizong's reign. The good times lasted about twenty years but all good things can't go on forever. By 1120 Huizong is going to begin to see the handwriting on the wall. The years we look at today will the years Huizong later on most regrets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We continue in this episode examining the second decade of Huizong’s reign. The good times lasted about twenty years but all good things can’t go on forever. By 1120 Huizong is going to begin to see the handwriting on the wall. The years we look at today will the years Huizong later on most regrets.

This time in Part 2 of our series we look at Huizong as he attempts to assemble his team and deal with bitter factional strife that was rampant since the Wang Anshi New Reforms. We also look at Huizong the great patron of the arts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This time in Part 2 of our series we look at Huizong as he attempts to assemble his team and deal with bitter factional strife that was rampant since the Wang Anshi New Reforms.  We also look at Huizong the great patron of the arts.

We're going to begin a new series that will look at political, social, and cultural life in the late Northern Song. The second the last emperor Huizong will serve as our vehicle to examine this period in the late 11th and early 12th century China. University of Washington professor Dr. Patricia Buckley Ebrey has recently published a book entitled Emperor Huizong. I'm going to use this as one of the main sources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re going to begin a new series that will look at political, social, and cultural life in the late Northern Song. The second the last emperor Huizong will serve as our vehicle to examine this period in the late 11th and early 12th century China. University of Washington professor Dr. Patricia Buckley Ebrey has recently published a book entitled Emperor Huizong. I’m going to use this as one of the main sources. The Song Dynasty was another one of those times when China was the most advanced and economically powerful civilization on earth. The period in which Huizong reigned was one of the high points of the dynasty. But in 1127 the emperor’s world will come crashing down with invasions from the north.  Today we begin our look at this emperor.

Patricia Ebrey‘s beautifully written and exhaustively researched new book introduces readers to an emperor of China as artist, collector, father, ruler, scholar, patron, and human being. Emperor Huizong (Harvard University Press, 2014) explores the person and the reign of the eighth emperor of the Song Dynasty, who ascended the Song throne in 1100 (at age 17) and ruled almost 26 years until 1125. Huizong is perhaps best known as a ruler who was so caught up in a sensual life (painting, calligraphy, Daoism, etc.) that he failed to properly govern and left the dynastic door open to invading Jurchen forces. Ebrey offers us a much more complex and even-handed account of this fascinating figure and his world, following the life and rule of Huizong in intricate detail to try to understand the circumstances that ultimately led this man to pretend to have a stroke so that his son could ascend the throne and try to succeed where the father had failed to avert a Jin takeover. (Both were unsuccessful, and as Jurchen forces sacked Kaifeng the remnants of the Song fled southward while Huizong and his son were taken into captivity.) We learn not only about Huizong’s childhood and family life, but also about his negotiation of reforms (political and musical) at court, his faith in and relationship to Daoism, and his practice and patronage of the arts of medicine, architecture, painting, and calligraphy. Ebrey brings a masterful reading of a diverse archive of sources to bear on creating this imperial portrait, which is both an incredible feat of careful scholarship and an absolute pleasure to read. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Patricia Ebrey‘s beautifully written and exhaustively researched new book introduces readers to an emperor of China as artist, collector, father, ruler, scholar, patron, and human being. Emperor Huizong (Harvard University Press, 2014) explores the person and the reign of the eighth emperor of the Song Dynasty, who ascended the Song throne in 1100... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Patricia Ebrey‘s beautifully written and exhaustively researched new book introduces readers to an emperor of China as artist, collector, father, ruler, scholar, patron, and human being. Emperor Huizong (Harvard University Press, 2014) explores the person and the reign of the eighth emperor of the Song Dynasty, who ascended the Song throne in 1100 (at age 17) and ruled almost 26 years until 1125. Huizong is perhaps best known as a ruler who was so caught up in a sensual life (painting, calligraphy, Daoism, etc.) that he failed to properly govern and left the dynastic door open to invading Jurchen forces. Ebrey offers us a much more complex and even-handed account of this fascinating figure and his world, following the life and rule of Huizong in intricate detail to try to understand the circumstances that ultimately led this man to pretend to have a stroke so that his son could ascend the throne and try to succeed where the father had failed to avert a Jin takeover. (Both were unsuccessful, and as Jurchen forces sacked Kaifeng the remnants of the Song fled southward while Huizong and his son were taken into captivity.) We learn not only about Huizong’s childhood and family life, but also about his negotiation of reforms (political and musical) at court, his faith in and relationship to Daoism, and his practice and patronage of the arts of medicine, architecture, painting, and calligraphy. Ebrey brings a masterful reading of a diverse archive of sources to bear on creating this imperial portrait, which is both an incredible feat of careful scholarship and an absolute pleasure to read. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Patricia Ebrey‘s beautifully written and exhaustively researched new book introduces readers to an emperor of China as artist, collector, father, ruler, scholar, patron, and human being. Emperor Huizong (Harvard University Press, 2014) explores the person and the reign of the eighth emperor of the Song Dynasty, who ascended the Song throne in 1100 (at age 17) and ruled almost 26 years until 1125. Huizong is perhaps best known as a ruler who was so caught up in a sensual life (painting, calligraphy, Daoism, etc.) that he failed to properly govern and left the dynastic door open to invading Jurchen forces. Ebrey offers us a much more complex and even-handed account of this fascinating figure and his world, following the life and rule of Huizong in intricate detail to try to understand the circumstances that ultimately led this man to pretend to have a stroke so that his son could ascend the throne and try to succeed where the father had failed to avert a Jin takeover. (Both were unsuccessful, and as Jurchen forces sacked Kaifeng the remnants of the Song fled southward while Huizong and his son were taken into captivity.) We learn not only about Huizong’s childhood and family life, but also about his negotiation of reforms (political and musical) at court, his faith in and relationship to Daoism, and his practice and patronage of the arts of medicine, architecture, painting, and calligraphy. Ebrey brings a masterful reading of a diverse archive of sources to bear on creating this imperial portrait, which is both an incredible feat of careful scholarship and an absolute pleasure to read. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Robert Mowry, Harvard University

Robert Mowry, Harvard University