Power and Politics in Tenth-Century China: The Former Shu Regime

Between the end of the Tang empire about 907 and the rise of the Northern Song dynasty in 960, five dynasties vied for power at the core where China had been, so the period is called Five Dynasties period, says Wang (history, Armstrong Atlantic State Y., Savannah, Georgia). Sometimes it is called Five Dynasties and Ten State, to include the smaller entities that came and went in the periphery, and it is one of these states that he examines. He explores the complicated national politics and intricate interstate relations of the Former Shu (891-925) as they contributed to the unique political formation of the time. From Shu in the Tang dynasty his account progresses through the rise of Wang Jian 884-903, Wang Jian and the military 887-907, warfare and diplomacy 903-918, legitimizing a regional empire 907-918, and crisis and collapse 915-925. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)