Withthisbook,YangYuanzhenghasproducedwhatwilllongberegardedasaground-breakingmilestoneinthevoluminousscholarshiponJiangKui(1155–1221).Basedinpartonhis2011discoveryofamajornewsourceofJiang’swork,Yangemploysclosetextualreadingandeditorialinterpretationofthistext,augmentedbymeticulousexaminationofothermaterial,toteaseoutanimportantandinnovativeexplanationofwhylyricsongsenjoyedsucharemarkablerenaissanceintheeighteenthcentury,apopularitythathascontinuedthroughthepresent.YangattributestheoriginalrevivalofJiang’sworkstoQingdynastyoppressionofthesouthernChineseeliteandpointstoanincreasingsenseofnostalgiaasthereasonfortheirenduringpopularity.Thisbookreflectsauniquebreadthofscholarship:inadditiontolucidargumentregardingthereceptionofJiang’swork,importantfacsimilesofthreemajormanuscripts,fivecolourplates,andanaudioCDarealsoincluded.
