Branches of Heaven : : A History of the Imperial Clan of Sung China / / John W. Chaffee.

• Superior document: Harvard East Asian Monographs ; 183
• VerfasserIn: Chaffee, John W.,
• Place / Publishing House: Boston : : Harvard University Asia Center,, 1999.; Leiden; , Boston : : BRILL,, 1999.
• Year of Publication: 1999
• Language: English
• Series: Harvard East Asian Monographs ; 183.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource.

"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." "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."--Jacket.

Table of Contents

A royal family -- Culture and confinement -- The clan reoriented -- The creation of secondary centers -- Captivity, resistance, and opportunity -- Settlement and privilege -- Politics and limits of power -- Maturity and defeat -- Conclusion: the Sung clan in Chinese history.