The Cambridge History of China: Volume 2, The Six Dynasties, 220-589

"The Six Dynasties Period (220–589 CE) is one of the most complex in Chinese history. Written by leading scholars from across the globe, the essays in this volume cover nearly every aspect of the period, including politics, foreign relations, warfare, agriculture, gender, art, philosophy, material culture, local society, and music. While acknowledging the era's political chaos, these essays indicate that this was a transformative period when Chinese culture was significantly changed and enriched by foreign peoples and ideas. It was also a time when history and literature became recognized as independent subjects and religion was transformed by the domestication of Buddhism and the formation of organized Daoism. Many of the trends that shaped the rest of imperial China's history have their origins in this era, such as the commercial vibrancy of southern China, the separation of history and literature from classical studies, and the growing importance of women in politics and religion."--Provided by publisher "The Cambridge History of China is the largest and most comprehensive history of China in the English language. Planned in the 1960s by the late, distinguished China scholar Professor John K. Fairbank of Harvard, and Denis Twitchett, Professor Emeritus of Princeton, the series covers the grand scale of Chinese history from the 3rd century BC, to the death of Mao Tse-tung. Consisting of fifteen volumes (two of which, Volumes 5 and 9 are to be published in two books), the history embodies both existing scholarship and extensive original research into hitherto neglected subjects and periods. The contributors, all specialists from the international community of Sinologists, cover the main developments in political, social, economic and intellectual life of China in their respective periods. Collectively they present the major events in a long history that encompasses both a very old civilisation and a great modern power. Written not only for students and scholars, but with the general reader in mind, the volumes are designed to be read continuously, or as works of reference. No knowledge of Chinese is necessary; for readers with Chinese, proper names and terms are identified with their characters in the glossary, and full references to Chinese, Japanese, and other works are given in the bibliographies. Numerous maps illustrate the texts. The published volumes have constituted essential reading in Chinese history. See also, The Cambridge History of Ancient China, Michael Loewe and Edward Shaughnessy, eds., a companion to this series covering the period 1500 to 221 BC. General Editors: John K. Fairbank, Denis Twitchett." -- Description de l'éditeur "The Cambridge History of China is the largest and most comprehensive history of China in the English language. Planned in the 1960s by the late, distinguished China scholar Professor John K. Fairbank of Harvard, and Denis Twitchett, Professor Emeritus of Princeton, the series covers the grand scale of Chinese history from the 3rd century BC, to the death of Mao Tse-tung. Consisting of fifteen volumes (two of which, Volumes 5 and 9 are to be published in two books), the history embodies both existing scholarship and extensive original research into hitherto neglected subjects and periods. The contributors, all specialists from the international community of Sinologists, cover the main developments in political, social, economic and intellectual life of China in their respective periods. Collectively they present the major events in a long history that encompasses both a very old civilisation and a great modern power. Written not only for students and scholars, but with the general reader in mind, the volumes are designed to be read continuously, or as works of reference. No knowledge of Chinese is necessary; for readers with Chinese, proper names and terms are identified with their characters in the glossary, and full references to Chinese, Japanese, and other works are given in the bibliographies. Numerous maps illustrate the texts. The published volumes have constituted essential reading in Chinese history. See also, The Cambridge History of Ancient China, Michael Loewe and Edward Shaughnessy, eds., a companion to this series covering the period 1500 to 221 BC. General Editors: John K. Fairbank, Denis Twitchett." -- Provided by publisher 1-title page 1 2-copyright 3 3-contents 5 4-figures_and_tables 12 5-maps 15 6-preface 17 7-six_dynasties_chronology 20 8-introduction 22 9-history 46 Part 1 - history 48 Chapter 1-Wei 50 Chapter 2-Wu 73 Chapter 3-Shu-Han 89 Chapter 4-Western Jin 102 Chapter 5-Eastern Jin 119 Chapter 6 - The Sixteen Kingdoms 142 Chapter 7 - Cheng-Han State 168 Chapter 8 - Northern Wei 178 Chapter 9 - Eastern Wei–Northern Qi 207 Chapter 10 - Western Wei–Northern Zhou 233 Chapter 11 - The Southern Dynasties 260 Part 2 - Society and Realia 296 Chapter 12 - The Art of War 298 Chapter 13 - Foreign Relations 319 Chapter 14 - The Northern Economy 332 Chapter 15 - The Southern Economy 353 Chapter 16 - Agriculture 378 Chapter 17 - The History of Sogdians in China 397 Chapter 18 - Northern Material Culture 407 Chapter 19 - Southern Material Culture 441 Chapter 20 - Women, Families, and Gendered Society 466 Chapter 21 - Local Society 483 Part 3 - Culture, Religion, and Art 504 Chapter 22 - Confucian Learning and Influence 506 Chapter 23 - Qingtan and Xuanxue 534 Chapter 24 - Buddhism 554 Chapter 25 - Daoism 576 Chapter 26 - Popular Religion 602 Chapter 27 - The World of Prose Literature 620 Chapter 28 - The World of Poetry 646 Chapter 29 - Art and Visual Culture 685 Chapter 30 - Music 721 Abbreviations of Frequently Cited Primary Sources 744 Journal Titles-Acronyms (single-word titles do not use acronyms) 745 List of Asian Journal Titles 748 Primary Texts 752 General Bibliography 756 Glossary–Index 862 International scholars and sinologists discuss culture, economic growth, social change, political processes, and foreign influences in China since the earliest pre-dynastic period