Emperor Huizong
Ebrey’s scholarly biography of Song dynasty ruler Huizong (1082–1135) collects a vast body of prior research, and in doing so constitutes the most comprehensive English-language work on the pivotal figure, whose rule saw a blossoming of art and culture but also the near-total collapse of Song dominance over southern China. But Ebrey also challenges some long-held assessments of Huizong’s rule, including the idea that Huizong was a decadent ruler whose commitment to the arts distracted him from political and military concerns. Although the pursuit of beauty was undeniably one of Huizong’s top priorities, Ebrey points out, Huizong’s support of the fine arts (especially painting, calligraphy, and music) and architecture were paralleled by his commitment to the Taoist religion. Huizong’s failures, suggests Ebrey, were not due to laxity but rather Huizong’s ambition to promote Taoist doctrine, an effort that rubbed his more Confucian contemporaries the wrong way and weakened Huizong’s ability to navigate partisan revolts and external threats. Besides providing a vivid portrait of a complicated man who, at the height of his reign, was arguably the most powerful person in the world, Ebrey provides thick and fascinating context at every turn, including attention to the important role of women in the Song court. --Brendan Driscoll