Biography of Yu-Wen Hu

Albert E. Dien’s Biography of Yü-Wen Hu offers a comprehensive translation and analysis of a pivotal historical figure in northern China’s sixth century. Through a detailed rendering of the Chou shu biography, this work explores the complex interplay between Confucian ideals and the governance of the Northern Chou dynasty, a state ruled by leaders of non-Chinese origin. Dien’s annotations illuminate how the historian of the Chou shu adeptly portrays the Yü-Wen rulers as fully sinified, refl...