In this highly readable and engaging work, Linda Walton presents a dynamic survey of China's history from the tenth through the mid-fourteenth centuries from the founding of the Song dynasty through the Mongol conquest when Song China became part of the Mongol Empire and Marco Polo made his famous journey to the court of the Great Khan. Adopting a thematic approach, she highlights the political, social, economic, intellectual, and cultural changes and continuities of the period often conceptualized as 'Middle Imperial China'. Particular emphasis is given to themes that inform scholarship on...

In this highly readable and engaging survey of China's history from the tenth through the mid-fourteenth centuries, Linda Walton presents a framework for understanding both changes and continuities. While stressing China's Eurasian setting, she also addresses significant themes of world history, including gender, empire, the state, and religion.