Four Seasons - A Ming Emperor and His Grand Secretaries in Sixteenth-Century China (Hardcover)


This important contribution to imperial Chinese history illuminates the basic concerns of the Ming state. Eminent scholar John W. Dardess shows in fascinating detail how Emperor Jiajing and his grand secretaries managed affairs of state and how personal ambition and policy differences combined to animate imperial political life. At the top sat Jiajing, industrious, religious, knowledgeable, ritually pious, but short-tempered and cruel. His chief assistants during his forty-six-year reign were his four successive grand secretaries. First was Zhang Fujing, a hard-minded bureaucratic fighter and ideologue, life coach to Jiajing during his youth. Then came Xia Yan, a superb technocrat who was executed for his part in a major policy dispute. He was followed by Yan Song, a colossally corrupt machine politician who knew how to please his ruler. Finally was Xu Jie, a liberal-minded reformer who put a benign edge on the regime's final years. Drawing on a treasure trove of the grand secretaries' personal writings, his narrative brings to life the inner workings of imperial governance, providing detailed descriptions of the challenging problems and crises faced by the largest polity on the face of the earth. Richly researched and engagingly written, this book will be essential reading for scholars and students of Ming China.

R3,494

Or split into 4x interest-free payments of 25% on orders over R50
Learn more

Discovery Miles34940
Mobicred@R327pm x 12* Mobicred Info
Free Delivery
Delivery AdviceShips in 10 - 15 working days


Toggle WishListAdd to wish list
Review this Item

Product Description

This important contribution to imperial Chinese history illuminates the basic concerns of the Ming state. Eminent scholar John W. Dardess shows in fascinating detail how Emperor Jiajing and his grand secretaries managed affairs of state and how personal ambition and policy differences combined to animate imperial political life. At the top sat Jiajing, industrious, religious, knowledgeable, ritually pious, but short-tempered and cruel. His chief assistants during his forty-six-year reign were his four successive grand secretaries. First was Zhang Fujing, a hard-minded bureaucratic fighter and ideologue, life coach to Jiajing during his youth. Then came Xia Yan, a superb technocrat who was executed for his part in a major policy dispute. He was followed by Yan Song, a colossally corrupt machine politician who knew how to please his ruler. Finally was Xu Jie, a liberal-minded reformer who put a benign edge on the regime's final years. Drawing on a treasure trove of the grand secretaries' personal writings, his narrative brings to life the inner workings of imperial governance, providing detailed descriptions of the challenging problems and crises faced by the largest polity on the face of the earth. Richly researched and engagingly written, this book will be essential reading for scholars and students of Ming China.

Customer Reviews

No reviews or ratings yet - be the first to create one!

Product Details

General

Imprint

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Country of origin

United States

Release date

April 2016

Availability

Expected to ship within 10 - 15 working days

Authors

Dimensions

236 x 159 x 22mm (L x W x T)

Format

Hardcover

Pages

294

ISBN-13

978-1-4422-6558-5

Barcode

9781442265585

Categories

LSN

1-4422-6558-2



Trending On Loot