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Much has been written in Western languages about the army of Cinggis Qan, although with differing emphases and unequal quality. Little, however, has been done on the military institutions of the Yuan dynasty. Part one of this book is description of the military system, the Imperial Guard, and the garrison system of the Yuan dynasty. This is followed by an annotated translation of the military chapters of the Yuan Shi (the official dynastic history).
This anthology presents seventy translated and annotated short essays, or hsiao-p’in, by fourteen well-known sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Chinese writers. Hsiao-p’in, characterized by spontaneity and brevity, were a relatively informal variation on the established classical prose style in which all scholars were trained. Written primarily to amuse and entertain the reader, hsiao-p’in reflect the rise of individualism in the late Ming period and collectively provide a panorama of the colorful life of the age. Critics condemned the genre as escapist because of its focus on life’s sensual pleasures and triviality, and over the next two centuries many of these playful and often irreverent works were officially censored. Today, the essays provide valuable and rare accounts of the details over everyday life in Ming China as well as displays of wit and delightful turns of phrase.
Much has been written in Western languages about the army of Cinggis Qan, although with differing emphases and unequal quality. Little, however, has been done on the military institutions of the Yuan dynasty. Part one of this book is description of the military system, the Imperial Guard, and the garrison system of the Yuan dynasty.