Branches of Heaven
Subtitle: A History of the Imperial Clan of Sung China (Harvard East Asian Monographs)
Publisher: Harvard University Asia Center
Published: November 15, 1999
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 350
ISBN-13: 9780674080492
Subjects: Asian / Middle Eastern history; Asian studies; Imperialism; China - History; History - General History; Song dynasty, 960-1279; History: World; China; Kings and rulers; Asia - China; History / China; Political Process - Leadership; History; Nobility
Description: "By the end of the Sung dynasty (960-1279), known descendents of the three Chao brothers who had founded the Sung numbered over 20,000 persons. Unlike the rulers of many other Chinese dynasties, however, the Sung emperors were not plagued by challenges to their rule from their relatives. Indeed, so successful was Sung policy on the imperial clan that it would serve as a model for the subsequent Ming and Ch'ing dynasties.

How the Sung created a social and political asset in the imperial clan while neutralizing it as a potential threat is the story of this book."--BOOK JACKET. "In this, the first full-length study of the imperial clan as an institution, John W. Chaffee analyzes its history, its political role, and the lifestyle of its members, focusing on their residence patterns, marriages, and occupations."--BOOK JACKET.