{"product_id":"divination-mythology-and-monarchy-in-han-china-paperback-9780521052207","title":"Divination, Mythology and Monarchy in Han China (Paperback \/ softback) 9780521052207","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eDivination, Mythology and Monarchy in Han China\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAn examination of the links between religion and statecraft and how they affected the concept of monarchy during the Han dynasty.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eMichael Loewe (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9780521052207, Cambridge University Press\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003ePaperback \/ softback, published 22 February 2008\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e376 pages, 18 b\/w illus.\u003cbr\u003e23.4 x 15.6 x 1.8 cm, 0.53 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\"Anyone who prefers faddish jargon to lucid exposition is advised to look elsewhere.\"   Journal of Interdisciplinary History\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eChinese empires were established by force of arms, but sustained by religious rites and intellectual theory. The four centuries from 206 BC to AD 220 witnessed major changes in the state cults and the concepts of monarchy, while various techniques of divination were used to forecast the future or to solve immediate problems. Michael Loewe examines these changes and the links between religion and statecraft. While both mythology and the traditions nurtured by the learned affected the concept and practice of monarchy throughout the period, the political and social weaknesses of the last century of Han rule bring into question the success that was achieved by the imperial ideal. Nevertheless, that ideal and its institutions were of prime importance for the understanding of Han times and for the influence they exercised on China's later dynasties.\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eList of figures\u003cbr\u003e Preface\u003cbr\u003e Acknowledgements\u003cbr\u003e List of abbreviations\u003cbr\u003e Introduction: the history of the early empires\u003cbr\u003e 1. Man and beast: the hybrid in early Chinese art and literature\u003cbr\u003e 2. Water, earth and fire: the symbols of the Han dynasty\u003cbr\u003e 3. The Han view of comets\u003cbr\u003e 4. The authority of the emperors of Ch'in and Han\u003cbr\u003e 5. The term K'an-yü  and the choice of the moment\u003cbr\u003e 6. Imperial sovereignty: Tung Chung-shu's contribution and his predecessors\u003cbr\u003e 7. The cult of the dragon and the invocation for rain\u003cbr\u003e 8. Divination by shells, bones and stalks during the Han period\u003cbr\u003e 9. The oracles of the clouds and the winds\u003cbr\u003e 10. The Almanacs (Jih-shu) from Shui-hu-ti: a preliminary survey\u003cbr\u003e 11. The Chüeh-ti games: a re-enactment of the battle between Ch'ih-yu and Hsüan-yüan?\u003cbr\u003e 12. The failure of the Confucian ethic in Later Han times\u003cbr\u003e 13. The imperial tombs of the Former Han dynasty and their shrines\u003cbr\u003e List of Han emperors\u003cbr\u003e Glossary\u003cbr\u003e Bibliography\u003cbr\u003e Index.\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eSubject Areas: Ancient history: to c 500 CE [\u003ca title=\"See our other books on Ancient history: to c 500 CE\" href=\"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/search?q=%22Ancient%20history:%20to%20c%20500%20CE%20%5BHBLA%5D%22\"\u003eHBLA\u003c\/a\u003e], Asian history [\u003ca title=\"See our other books on Asian history\" href=\"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/search?q=%22Asian%20history%20%5BHBJF%5D%22\"\u003eHBJF\u003c\/a\u003e]\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Cambridge University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46006273212696,"sku":"9780521052207","price":38.69,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0730\/2037\/5320\/products\/9780521052207i_02a14a7b-bfb9-40ea-8c1c-0fe4aff8344a.jpg?v=1694968742","url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/divination-mythology-and-monarchy-in-han-china-paperback-9780521052207","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}