Golden Horses and Steel Warhorses: Chinese Stories from 916 to 1368

Author: Cheng Yu, Zhang Hesheng
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-02-01
Features: From the 10th to the mid-14th century, China was a period of fragmentation leading to unification. The Liao, Western Xia, Jin, and Yuan dynasties were feudal regimes established by the Khitan, Tangut, Jurchen, and Mongol ethnic groups, respectively. The Liao, Western Xia, and Northern Song; the Jin, Western Xia, and Southern Song—these powers successively stood in opposition. The rise of the Mongols led to the destruction of the Jin and Southern Song dynasties, the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty, and the unification of the entire nation. The Khitan, Tangut, Jurchen, and Mongols were ethnic groups residing in northeastern, northwestern, and northern China, with some engaging in nomadic lifestyles while others relied on fishing and hunting. It was these nomadic and hunting communities, under the leadership of outstanding figures such as Yelü Abagha, Li Aньu, Wanyan Aguda, and Temüjin, who stepped out of the grasslands and forests, rode across the battlefields, and, with their wisdom and courage, established nations, writing a profound chapter in Chinese history. Among them, Temüjin stands out particularly, as his activities influenced the course of world history. The history of the Liao, Western Xia, Jin, and Yuan dynasties is notable for the completion of the process from fragmentation to unification. The Liao and Jin successively established states in the north, strengthening the development of northeastern and northern grassland regions. The Western Xia was established in the northwest, with extensive connections to the Western Regions and the Tibetan people in the southwest. The rise of the Yuan Dynasty encompassed the lands of the Jin, Western Xia, and Southern Song; the Tibetan people submitted and became a local administrative region under the central government's jurisdiction; Dali surrendered, and Yunnan was organized into a provincial system similar to the interior; and the Uyghur lands in Central Asia and surrounding areas also came under Yuan rule.
The Story of China is an encyclopedic work on Chinese history that integrates narrative-style reading, exquisite and delicate image appreciation, and convenient and practical search functions. It contains countless captivating scenes from Chinese history, woven together in a way that forms the splendid civilization of the Chinese nation over its five thousand years. Just as exploring famous mountains and rivers requires the guidance of a tour guide and a map, the illustrated introductions below will enable readers to fully immerse themselves in the beauty of China's historical landscape, leaving them spellbound. The overall layout fully reflects the book's emphasis on narrative-style texts, showcasing its characteristics as an encyclopedic work: dense knowledge, a strong focus on images and text, and easy retrieval. This allows readers to feel the charm of history and culture and the ingenuity of the editorial design on every page.
To better understand the stories and apply them in real-life learning, the book provides three key elements for readers: story introductions, story section titles, and story numbering. The story introductions summarize the essence of each story, while both they and the section titles are designed to help readers grasp the core of the narrative in a relaxed and efficient manner. Story numbering, on the other hand, is related to the search system. Each story contains essential elements such as the core content (i.e., the essence of the story), characters, and anecdotes. The book extracts these three elements, labels them at the top of each story (along with the story's source), and compiles them into an index at the end. The story numbering is linked to the three indexes at the back of the book: "Characters," "Anecdotes," and "Keywords." The vast amount of information and practicality of these indexes are a major feature of the book. With dense information, they compensate for the limitations of knowledge points in the narrative. The emotional impact of the stories and the rational summary of historical knowledge achieve a high degree of unity. This allows readers to see both the trees and the forest—to enjoy the aesthetic pleasure brought by the stories while also discovering the profound wisdom of history.
Content from columns such as "Major Events in China," "Major Events in the World," "Cultural and Historical Encyclopedia," "Historical Examination," and picture captions are carefully selected knowledge blocks that are both the essence of historical knowledge and a vivid representation of "living history," reflecting the social life and daily routines of ordinary people at the time. Complementing this are the convenient "Chinese Cultural and Historical Encyclopedia" search functions. The images cover a wide range, deeply recreating historical realities with delicate and unique visual effects, vividly highlighting the development and changes in all aspects of social life in each historical period. Through the vivid "stories behind the pictures," readers can appreciate the profound content they contain, making them a full holographic image of cultural and historical knowledge.