Emperor Huizong

Patricia Buckley Ebrey

“Emperor Huizong demonstrates both Ebrey’s outstanding skill as a scholar and the amazing depths to which she delved in her study. Given her unparalleled knowledge of Huizong and his court, her book will remain both a unique accomplishment and an enlightening contribution to our understanding of the relationship between a ruler and the culture and politics of his reign. Her work is to be commended.”—Hugh R. Clark, Ursinus College

“I feel certain that all historians will welcome Emperor Huizong, since it intermeshes the personal with the political, the policies with the man. By trying to understand what motivated Huizong to pursue an ambitious agenda of cultural renaissance and political reform, Ebrey adds a new dimension to our understanding of a ruler who still instills passions, both positive and negative.”—Richard L. Davis, Lingnan University

“Long depicted as a feckless ruler who brought about the downfall of the Northern Song, Huizong emerges in this magisterial study as an emperor fully in control of the world around him and dedicated to perfecting the art of rule. Historians of China will admire how Ebrey’s forensic approach replaces one-sided myths about Huizong’s rule with a comprehensive picture of emperor-centered court life. Above all, Ebrey tells a riveting story; her portrayal has all the power of a great novel. This book is quite simply superb.”—Paul Jakov Smith, Haverford College

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