The New and the Multiple: Sung Senses of the Past

A study of Sung Chinese historical consciousness, this is the first comprehensive English work on the subject. It presents "new and multiple" as the key ideas for interpretation. Eleven essays by leading Sung scholars in the U.S., Germany, Japan and Taiwan show that there were important developments in both Sung senses of the past and Sung historiography: from conservatism to historical analogy to new worldviews (Ch'ing-li new policy and Chu His's tao-hsueh), the Sung sought to redefine the human past. The Sung also created or refined the writing of local, universal and genealogical histories, and brought about new visions of China's past.Thomas H. C. Lee obtained his PhD from Yale University in 1975 and is Professor and Director of Asian Studies Program at the City College of The City University of New York. He has written extensively on traditional Chinese intellectual and educational history. Currently he is heading an international project on Chinese and comparative historical thinking. Read more