During the Northern Song dynasty (960-1126), new ground was broken in aesthetic thought, particularly in the fields of art collecting, poetry criticism, connoisseurship of flowers, and the song lyric. Collectively these activities constitute much of what was distinctive about Northern Song culture. Yet the subjects treated here were unprecedented when they appeared; consequentl...(展开全部)

This is the first book, in English, offering a comprehensive study of Sima Guang's career and thought.Politics and Conservatism in Northern Song China breaks new ground in the study of Northern Song court politics. Additionally, the writing style is lively and engaging. The adeptly translated quotations and the colorful anecdotes illustrate the main analytical points while maki...(展开全部)

Despite China's long tradition of venerating the past as the ultimate source of cultural authority, the discourse of antiquity prior to the Song period (960-1279) demonstrated little concern for ancient objects. With a focus on physical artifacts of the past, Song intellectuals began a new discipline, "the study of bronze and stone" (jinshixue), that generated collections of it...(展开全部)

Mi Fu, one of the most celebrated figures in the history of Chinese art, was a prominent calligrapher in eleventh-century China. A member of the educated elite, or literati, he also contributed a great deal to discussions of theoretical issues of function and style in calligraphy, the primary means of graphic expression for the literati. In this book Peter Sturman examines Mi F...(展开全部)

Mi Fu, one of the most celebrated figures in the history of Chinese art, was a prominent calligrapher in eleventh-century China. A member of the educated elite, or literati, he also contributed a great deal to discussions of theoretical issues of function and style in calligraphy, the primary means of graphic expression for the literati. In this book Peter Sturman examines Mi F...(展开全部)

Review "Empresses, Art, and Agency in Song Dynasty China is very impressive, extremely rich in new information about art and women in the Song. The analysis is sophisticated, theoretically informed, and smart; the prose is smooth, even elegant." Beverly Bossler, University of California, Davis "This is an important book that breaks new ground in several scholarly areas and does...(展开全部)

Review "Empresses, Art, and Agency in Song Dynasty China is very impressive, extremely rich in new information about art and women in the Song. The analysis is sophisticated, theoretically informed, and smart; the prose is smooth, even elegant." Beverly Bossler, University of California, Davis "This is an important book that breaks new ground in several scholarly areas and does...(展开全部)

A European lately arrived in China, if he is of a receptive and reflective disposition, finds himself confronted with a number of very puzzling questions, for many of which the problems of Western Europe will not have prepared him. Russian problems, it is true, have important affinities with those of China, but they have also important differences; moreover they are decidedly l...(展开全部)