From Warhorses to Ploughshares: The Later Tang Reign of Emperor Mingzong - Hardcover

Davis, Richard

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 9888208101 ISBN 13: 9789888208104

Publisher: Hong Kong University Press, 2015

Synopsis

Mingzong (r. 926–933) was the most illustrious emperor of the Five Dynasties, and one of the most admired of China’s middle period, the Tang to Song. A warrior of Shatuo-Turk ancestry, he ascended the throne of the Later Tang on the heels of a mutiny against his adopted brother, thus sparing his dynasty an early death. Mingzong’s brief reign came to be heralded by historians as the “Small Repose”―a happy convergence of peace and prosperity. He marshaled a cluster of eminently able courtiers, men who balanced Confucian charity against the military discipline demanded in a time of transition. These years were marked by trade with bordering states, frenzied diplomatic activity, and a succession of defections from states to the north. Mingzong wisely eschewed military conflict, except as a last resort. Conservative in moral and legal matters, he introduced radical economic reforms that included deregulation of traditional monopolies and timely changes to the tributary system. Drawing extensively on primary sources, including Mingzong’s spirited correspondence with his officials, this political and cultural biography brings to life a charismatic emperor who was held up as a model ruler by succeeding generations.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

Chinese History / Biography

About the Author:

Richard L. Davis is chair professor of history and dean of the Faculty of Arts at Lingnan University, Foundation Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of the Humanities, and president of Song Historians for the Lingnan Region.

About this edition

• Publisher: Hong Kong University Press
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 9888208101
• ISBN 13: 9789888208104
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 224