Historical Records of the Five Dynasties

by Xiu Ouyang, Richard Davis

Overview

Only fragments of historical text from China's middle period have been translated into English, until now. Here at last is the first major Chinese historical work from the Song dynasty. Written by Ouyang Xiu, an intellectual giant of the eleventh century, this is a history of the preceding century (907–979), a period known as the Five Dynasties.

The historical and literary significance of Ouyang's achievement cannot be underestimated. In rewriting the existing official history of the Five Dynasties, Ouyang—whose own time was characterized by extraordinary intellectual and political innovation—made several notable decisions. He rewrote the history in the "ancient" style preferred by forward-thinking literati; he even rewrote the original documents quoted within biographies. He also relied on his own moral categories, reevaluating the worth of the historical figures in light of his own convictions that individuals should take personal responsibility for the fate of society. Ouyang's history would eventually become the official version—the last state-sanctioned dynastic history of imperial China to be written by an individual in a private capacity. In addition to its provocative insights and lucid presentation, Historical Records of the Five Dynasties is an eloquent statement on the art of historical writing in the eleventh century.

A preeminent scholar of Chinese history, Richard L. Davis has provided a thorough introduction and rendered nearly two-thirds of the Chinese original into English, including complete sections critical to understanding the politics and personalities of the time. Biographical clusters based on Ouyang's moral categories also appear in full, helping readers to appreciate the Confucian agenda that informs the work.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780231128278
Publisher:	Columbia University Press
Publication date:	01/01/2008
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	736
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.50(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Richard L. Davis is Chair Professor of History at Lingnan University, Hong Kong. His books include Wind Against the Mountain: The Crisis of Politics and Culture in Thirteenth Century China and Court and Family in Sung China, 960-1279.

What People are Saying About This

Peter Bol

Richard Davis's admirable translation of Ouyang Xiu's Historical Record of the Five Dynasties, makes available in English an invaluable source for the study of both the crucial century of transition between the Tang and Song dynasties and the emergence of the new literati consciousness of the eleventh century.

Victor H. Mair

This is a remarkable achievement that will certainly prove valuable for all researchers on late medieval and early modern China.

Valerie Hansen

Richard Davis's wonderfully fluent translation makes available in English one of the most important histories of the period between the Tang and Song dynasties. In recent years historians have come to realize just how important this fifty years was to China's overall development for many of the innovations that the Song pioneered actually dated to this time. This translation provides entree for anyone interested in this period, whether a starting student or an advanced scholar.

— Valerie Hansen, Yale University

Peter Bol

Richard Davis's admirable translation of Ouyang Xiu's Historical Record of the Five Dynasties, makes available in English an invaluable source for the study of both the crucial century of transition between the Tang and Song dynasties and the emergence of the new literati consciousness of the eleventh century.

— Peter Bol, Harvard University

Editorial Reviews

He should certainly congratulate himself on having achieved something of a breakthrough in the historical study of China.

Journal of the School of African and Oriental Studies - T. H. Barrett

Historical Records of the Five Dynasties is not only the best introduction to Chinese dynastic historiography in medieval times, but also an excellent and first-hand account of a century scarcely discussed...is a must for historians of medieval and late imperial China.

Medieval Review - Hilde De Weerdt

He should certainly congratulate himself on having achieved something of a breakthrough in the historical study of China.

Journal of the School of African and Oriental Studies - T.H. Barrett

He should certainly congratulate himself on having achieved something of a breakthrough in the historical study of China.

— T. H. Barrett

Journal of the School of African and Oriental Studies

Historical Records of the Five Dynasties is not only the best introduction to Chinese dynastic historiography in medieval times, but also an excellent and first-hand account of a century scarcely discussed...is a must for historians of medieval and late imperial China.

— Hilde De Weerdt

Medieval Review