The Cambridge History Of China. Volume 2, The Six Dynasties, 220–589

"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 Cover 1 Title Copyright Contents List of Figures and Tables List of Maps Preface Six Dynasties Chronology INTRODUCTION PART 1 HISTORY 1 WEI Rafe de Crespigny 2 WU Rafe de Crespigny 3 SHU-HAN J. Michael Farmer 4 WESTERN JIN Damien Chaussende 5 EASTERN JIN Charles Holcombe 6 THE SIXTEEN KINGDOMS Charles Holcombe 7 CHENG-HAN STATE Terry F. Kleeman 8 NORTHERN WEI Scott Pearce 9 EASTERN WEI–NORTHERN QI Albert E. Dien 10 WESTERN WEI–NORTHERN ZHOU Albert E. Dien 11 THE SOUTHERN DYNASTIES Andrew Chittick PART 2 SOCIETY AND REALIA 12 THE ART OF WAR David A. Graff 13 FOREIGN RELATIONS Charles Holcombe 14 THE NORTHERN ECONOMY Victor Cunrui Xiong 15 THE SOUTHERN ECONOMY Liu Shufen 16 AGRICULTURE Francesca Bray 17 THE HISTORY OF SOGDIANS IN CHINA Rong Xinjiang 18 NORTHERN MATERIAL CULTURE Shing Müller 19 SOUTHERN MATERIAL CULTURE Annette Kieser 20 WOMEN, FAMILIES, AND GENDERED SOCIETY Jen-der Lee 21 LOCAL SOCIETY Hou Xudong PART 3 CULTURE, RELIGION, AND ART 22 CONFUCIAN LEARNING AND INFLUENCE Keith N. Knapp 23 QINGTAN AND XUANXUE Yuet Keung Lo 24 BUDDHISM John Kieschnick 25 DAOISM Stephen R. Bokenkamp 26 POPULAR RELIGION Robert Ford Campany 27 THE WORLD OF PROSE LITERATURE Antje Richter 28 THE WORLD OF POETRY Cynthia L. Chennault 29 ART AND VISUAL CULTURE Wu Hung 30 MUSIC Bo Lawergren Bibliography Glossary–Index Cover 2 "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 International scholars and sinologists discuss culture, economic growth, social change, political processes, and foreign influences in China since the earliest pre-dynastic period