Negotiating Dynastic Divide: The Textual Life of a Southern Tang Official Under the Song

Abstract

China’s period of disunion in the tenth century posed moral challenges to individuals navigating the complex and unstable political situation. Later historians exploited the ambiguities of these challenges in giving their own assessments of those times, resulting in a complex array of assertions on matters pertaining to the Southern Tang. Appraisal of the character of the official Xu Xuan includes criticism around his work on the history of the Southern Tang and his meetings with the Song emperor Taizu. Accounts of Xu Xuan’s conduct evolved in meaning over time as existing material found its way into new compilations and contexts. Tracing the course of these changes reveals how the history of the Southern Tang served the varying purposes of Song writers.