Sima Qian's Historical Records is an exception. Of course, we know that Historical Records was not allowed to spread to the world at the beginning, that is, Tai Shigong said: "Tibet's famous mountains are attached to the capital, and future generations will be saints and gentlemen." Because writing contemporary history, it is easy to write some disgraceful deeds of rulers, which is taboo and persecuted by the court. This is a dilemma. If we avoid beautifying rulers, the authenticity and academic value of history books will be greatly reduced. Writing directly and objectively will certainly offend the rulers of the dynasty and persecute individuals. . .
The phenomenon caused by this is that contemporary scholars who know the current dynasty best do not write the history of the current dynasty, so later generations only write information about the previous dynasty, which is difficult to effectively guarantee accuracy and authenticity!
Song Dynasty is certainly a great feudal dynasty, which deserves a great book! But in the end, the Song Dynasty was destroyed by the Yuan Dynasty. Naturally, the Yuan Dynasty compiled the history of the Song Dynasty. It is even more difficult for later generations to compile the history of Song Dynasty, because with the passage of time, many written materials and records of folk unofficial history will be lost in the long river of history (the preservation and circulation of ancient materials are not perfect). In ancient times, compiling history has always been a huge project and a very arduous task. Writing a good history book requires consulting a large number of ancient books and collecting folk information, which ordinary people simply have no access to. Therefore, history books are mostly "government projects".
Today, I recommend the following books about the works of the Song Dynasty:
One,? Turquoise? Marco. This book is the best choice for establishing the basic structure, with detailed historical materials and clear organization.
Two? The Law of Ancestors: A Brief Introduction to Politics in the Early Northern Song Dynasty? Deng xiaonan. The author is the daughter of Deng Guangming, a famous scholar of Song history. This book has made great achievements in political history and is worth reading.
Three,? Economic history of Song Dynasty? The author of Lacquer Man can be regarded as the highest level of China's economic research in Song Dynasty. Although his views are a little old-fashioned, he is still outstanding.
Four,? Imperial Examination and Literature in Song Dynasty? I wish Shangshu. The position of this book in the cultural field of Song Dynasty is undeniable. Whether you agree or not, this book is a must.
Five? Cambridge Liaoxi Xia Jin Yuan? . When it comes to the Song Dynasty, we can't help but talk about the coexistence of many ethnic groups at that time. This book studies multi-ethnic regimes in great detail.
Six? Walking in Song Cheng? . This book is not necessarily academic, but it is the easiest to get started and get started among many works on social life history in Song Dynasty.