Midday of the Empire (Another History of the Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, and Ten Kingdoms)

Author: Mei Yi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-03-01
Features: Dreaming back to the Tang Dynasty, a millennium of lingering charm. The infusion of poetry, the influence of Hu culture, the prevalence of music and dance, the pinnacle of calligraphy art, the rich diversity of folk life, the flourishing of various religious forms, the exchange and integration of different civilizations—all grew on the land of the Chinese Empire, forming a dazzling and splendid, powerful, and glorious golden age. Eight directions and nine extremes, with a divine and ethereal charm, it evokes endless longing. From the Sui and Tang dynasties to the Five Dynasties, the Chinese Empire slid from a zenith of prosperity into an extreme decline: rebellion, slaughter, famine, plague, deception, betrayal—sweat and blood soaked the pages of history. Amidst the chaos, countless greedy eyes coveted the supreme throne adorned with nine golden dragons. In the midst of the turmoil, the actual territory under the Chinese Empire's rule shrank drastically, and the cession of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun laid a huge for the catastrophe of the Central Plains Empire centuries later. The Tang Dynasty inherited and expanded upon the Sui system, but the Five Dynasties brought chaos. This book profoundly reveals the internal logic of the rise and fall of Chinese civilization.