The Age of Confucian Rule

Just over a thousand years ago, the Song dynasty emerged as the most advanced civilization on earth. Within two centuries, China was home to nearly half of all humankind. In this concise history, we learn why the inventiveness of this era has been favorably compared with the European Renaissance, which in many ways the Song transformation surpassed.

With the chaotic dissolution...

Just over a thousand years ago, the Song dynasty emerged as the most advanced civilization on earth. Within two centuries, China was home to nearly half of all humankind. In this concise history, we learn why the inventiveness of this era has been favorably compared with the European Renaissance, which in many ways the Song transformation surpassed.

With the chaotic dissolution of the Tang dynasty, the old aristocratic families vanished. A new class of scholar-officials—products of a meritocratic examination system—took up the task of reshaping Chinese tradition by adapting the precepts of Confucianism to a rapidly changing world. Through fiscal reforms, these elites liberalized the economy, eased the tax burden, and put paper money into circulation. Their redesigned capitals buzzed with traders, while the education system offered advancement to talented men of modest means. Their rationalist approach led to inventions in printing, shipbuilding, weaving, ceramics manufacture, mining, and agriculture. With a realist’s eye, they studied the natural world and applied their observations in art and science. And with the souls of diplomats, they chose peace over war with the aggressors on their borders. Yet persistent military threats from these nomadic tribes—which the Chinese scorned as their cultural inferiors—redefined China’s understanding of its place in the world and solidified a sense of what it meant to be Chinese.

The Age of Confucian Rule is an essential introduction to this transformative era. “A scholar should congratulate himself that he has been born in such a time” (Zhao Ruyu, 1194).

目录：

Introduction

A Time of Turmoil

Model Rulers

Reforming into Collapse

The Song in the South

Three Doctrines

Education and Examination

Life Cycle Rituals

Exploring the World Within and Without

Transforming the Capitals

A Changing World of Production

Money and Taxes

Private Lives in the Public Sphere

Conclusion

Dynastic Rulers

Measures

Pronunciation Guide

Notes

Bibliography

Acknowledgments

Index

迪特·库恩（Dieter Kuhn），1946年生，先后在英国剑桥大学、德国海德堡大学东亚美术史所和柏林大学工作和任教。德国著名汉学家，专精宋史，尤为擅长物质文化史与科技史。现任维尔茨堡大学汉学系教授。主要著作有“哈佛中国史”丛书第四卷《儒家统治的时代：宋的转型》《宋王朝——从其文化看一个新社会的形成》《中国丝麻纺织技术史》《地位和礼仪——从远古代到公元十世纪贵族的中国》等。