{"product_id":"writing-empire-and-self-poetic-and-cultural-transformation-in-early-medieval-china-paperback","title":"Writing Empire and Self: Poetic and Cultural Transformation in Early Medieval China - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eXiaofei Tian\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChina's early medieval period, from the fifth through the early seventh century, from the Northern and Southern Dynasties through the unified Sui, was a time of political fragmentation, military strife, and ethnic conflict. It also witnessed brilliant artistic creations as well as a full flowering of court culture, with poetry at its heart. How did poetry come to be regarded as the most potent form of cultural capital, a privileged literary genre, and a foundational skill for members of the elite? How was poetry transformed from an instrument of empire building to a venue for articulating personal trauma and voicing critique of the state? \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eTracing the evolution of poetry's role in Chinese society, \u003ci\u003eWriting Empire and Self\u003c\/i\u003e uncovers the profound cultural changes that took place in the early medieval era. Xiaofei Tian argues that in this period, a social community, eventually known as the \"scholar elite\" and treated as if it had always been a permanent fixture of the Chinese social order, came into being. She investigates the formation of this community, which left its mark on all later Chinese arts and letters, through a careful account of its history and textual production. Combining meticulous readings of numerous previously untranslated texts with a long-term, large-scale view of social and cultural history, \u003ci\u003eWriting Empire and Self\u003c\/i\u003e offers a fresh perspective on poetry's intricate relationship with the state.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eXiaofei Tian is Ford Foundation Professor of East Asian Studies at Harvard University. Her many books include \u003ci\u003eTao Yuanming and Manuscript Culture: The Record of a Dusty Table\u003c\/i\u003e (2005); \u003ci\u003eBeacon Fire and Shooting Star: The Literary Culture of the Liang (502-557)\u003c\/i\u003e (2008); and \u003ci\u003eVisionary Journeys: Travel Writings from Early Medieval and Nineteenth-Century China\u003c\/i\u003e (2012).\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 408\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.91 x 9.21 x 6.14 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e August 11, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52142634631463,"sku":"9780231223140","price":72.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1002\/2079\/7223\/files\/WJU4-5zkWR9780231223140.webp?v=1790024030","url":"https:\/\/theluminousbookshop.com\/es\/products\/writing-empire-and-self-poetic-and-cultural-transformation-in-early-medieval-china-paperback","provider":"The Luminous Book Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}