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Branches of heaven : a history of the imperial clan of Sung China / John W. Chaffee.

By: Series: Harvard East Asian monographs ; 183.Publication details: Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Asia Center : Distributed by Harvard University Press, 1999.Description: xx, 441 p. : ill., maps ; 24 cmISBN:
  • 0674080491 (alk. paper)
  • 9780674080492 (alk. paper)
Other title:
  • History of the imperial clan of Sung China
Subject(s): DDC classification:
  • 951/.024 21
LOC classification:
  • DS751.3 .C35 1999
Contents:
A royal family -- Culture and confinement -- The clan reoriented -- The creation of secondary centers -- Captivity, resistance, and opportunity -- Settlement and privilege -- Politics and limits of power -- Maturity and defeat -- Conclusion: the Sung clan in Chinese history.
Review: "By the end of the Sung dynasty (960-1279), known descendents of the three Chao brothers who had founded the Sung numbered over 20,000 persons. Unlike the rulers of many other Chinese dynasties, however, the Sung emperors were not plagued by challenges to their rule from their relatives. Indeed, so successful was Sung policy on the imperial clan that it would serve as a model for the subsequent Ming and Ch'ing dynasties. How the Sung created a social and political asset in the imperial clan while neutralizing it as a potential threat is the story of this book." "In this, the first full-length study of the imperial clan as an institution, John W. Chaffee analyzes its history, its political role, and the lifestyle of its members, focusing on their residence patterns, marriages, and occupations."--BOOK JACKET.
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Holdings
Item type Current library Call number Status Date due Barcode
Books Books The Anton Library of Chinese Studies General Stacks DS751.3 .C35 1999 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Available TBC00002819

Includes bibliographical references (p. [371]-391) and index.

A royal family -- Culture and confinement -- The clan reoriented -- The creation of secondary centers -- Captivity, resistance, and opportunity -- Settlement and privilege -- Politics and limits of power -- Maturity and defeat -- Conclusion: the Sung clan in Chinese history.

"By the end of the Sung dynasty (960-1279), known descendents of the three Chao brothers who had founded the Sung numbered over 20,000 persons. Unlike the rulers of many other Chinese dynasties, however, the Sung emperors were not plagued by challenges to their rule from their relatives. Indeed, so successful was Sung policy on the imperial clan that it would serve as a model for the subsequent Ming and Ch'ing dynasties. How the Sung created a social and political asset in the imperial clan while neutralizing it as a potential threat is the story of this book." "In this, the first full-length study of the imperial clan as an institution, John W. Chaffee analyzes its history, its political role, and the lifestyle of its members, focusing on their residence patterns, marriages, and occupations."--BOOK JACKET.

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