Wind against the mountain
Subtitle: the crisis of politics and culture in thirteenth-century China
By: Richard L. Davis.
Series: Harvard-Yenching Institute monograph series ;; 42
Publisher: Council on East Asian Studies, Harvard University; Distributed by Harvard University Press
Published: 1996
Place of publication: Cambridge, Mass
Language: eng
Number of pages: 283
Subjects: Martyrs -- China.; Martyrdom.; China -- History -- Song dynasty, 960-1279.; China -- Politics and government -- 960-1279.
Description: Richard Davis has expertly crafted a stirring narrative of the last years of Song, focusing on loyalist resistance to Mongol dominion. Davis challenges the traditional view of Song martyrdom as a simple expression of political duty by examining the phenomenon instead from the perspective of material life and masculine identity.

He also explores the tensions between the outer court of militant radicals and an inner court run by female regents - tensions that reflect the broader split between factions of Song government as well as societal conflict. Davis reveals the true magnitude of the loyalist phenomenon in this beautifully written, fascinating study of Song political loyalty and cultural values.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 221-262) and index.