The Song Dynasty was an era of introspection, with a tendency for refinement and thriving civilian culture. At the same time, its culture was relatively closed and introverted, and elegant. Under such a background, the tea culture of the Song Dynasty was gentle, soft, and clear. During this period, the tea ceremony focused on simplicity and valued aspirations. Due to the increasing demand for high-quality tea from the ruling class, the tribute tea system gradually improved, and the tea-whisking method became popular with a focus on cleanliness, simplicity, and elegance. Besides, the use of tea utensils was also quite meticulous. Tea held a unique position in politics, diplomacy, daily life, and etiquette at the Song imperial palace. Additionally, tea was also endowed with many spiritual connotations, permeating into the cultural entertainment life of emperors and officials in the imperial palace, thus giving birth to many elegant tea-drinking techniques and cultural masterpieces. The Song imperial tea culture led the new trend of the times in the promoting and popularizing of tea-drinking customs among the people.

The sources of porcelains in the Song Dynasty court were diverse. As porcelains began to play an ever-significant role for monarchs and officials, the capital established kilns for porcelain production in the late-Northern Song. Some porcelain products entered the court as items produced by government-run workshops directly under central authority. This shift was of great significance as, to some extent, the Jingdezhen imperial kiln factory of the Ming and Qing dynasties was an elevated version of the Song Dynasty’s official kilns model. During Emperor Huizong’s reign, a series of favorable conditions led to the establishment of official kilns, which also reflected the aesthetic preferences of the emperor.

Drawing on the postscript by Cai Jing on the scroll of A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains as direct evidence, and the activities of Cai Jing and Emperor Huizong as indirect evidence, supplemented by the physical materials of the imperial silk fabrics Emperor Huizong favored his subjects with, this paper preliminarily investigates Wang Ximeng’s life experience amid the political turmoil of the late-Northern Song Dynasty. His admission to the Imperial Painting Academy, his service in the Imperial Archives, and his learning of painting under Emperor Huizong were all influenced to some extent by Cai Jing’s manipulations and operations. An analysis of the scenes depicted in the Scroll indicates that Wang Ximeng was well acquainted with the natural and cultural landscapes of various regions, including Xianyou in Fujian, Mount Lu and Poyang Lake in Jiangxi, Suzhou, Kaifeng, and other places. Furthermore, under the instruction of Emperor Huizong, Wang Ximeng broadened his vision of panoramic depiction of grand mountains and vast rivers and mastered refined artistic expression of grand blue-and-green landscape painting. He visualized in his painting the poetic sentiment of “Viewing Mount Lu from Pengli Lake” by Meng Haoran, thereby expressing the aesthetic ideology of “Abundance, Prosperity, Joy and Grandeur” that was prevalent in the late-Northern Song Dynasty.

The literati of the Tang and Song dynasties expressed their yearning and love for the natural beauty of landscape by extolling the natural aesthetics of tea. They reveled in the joys of the mountains and forests by drinking spring water and savoring tea, transcending the constraints of fame and status. Tea became a sanctuary for their soul. Compared to the Tang literati, the literati of the Song Dynasty preferred leisurely tea drinking, reflecting a view about the silent enjoyment of life. The tea poetries of the Song Dynasty presented three approaches to the enjoyment of life: the Confucian notion of being content with a simple but virtuous life, the Daoist idea of embracing rejoice in complying with Heaven and knowing its mandate, and the Zen Buddhist principle of ultimate tranquility and desirelessness. Tea drinking activities also served as a means for the Tang and Song literati to contemplate the principles of the universe and life. The Song literati showed a more rational aspect in their poems about tea. They derived insights about the ups and downs of life from the experience of drinking tea; they also compared the essence of tea with human nature, using this analogy to clarify their philosophical beliefs and motivate themselves, which showcased their high-heartedness and unworldliness. For the Tang and Song literati, tea drinking was an exceedingly decorous cultural activity. The profound connotations of literati tea in the Tang and Song dynasties constitute a crucial component of Chinese tea culture.

Round fan paintings of flowers and birds thrived in the Song Dynasty benefited from the prosperous in the fan-making industry and the prevalence of sketch painting across all social stratums. As people’s aesthetic standards improved, the designs of round fans diversified and the compositions of round fan paintings grew in variety, reflecting unique features of the time. This paper classifies the development of round fan paintings of flowers and birds in the Song Dynasty into three phases: early-Northern Song, mid- and late- Northern Song, and Southern Song, and discusses the evolutionary patterns and influencing factors of round fan paintings of flowers and birds in different stages. It is concluded that the Song Dynasty attained a high level of accomplishment in terms of the design and cultural connotations of round fan paintings of flowers and birds which had a profound influence on the development of such paintings thereafter.

Information is the basis for decision-making in all dynasties, particularly for national politics. Issues related to preventing blockages, uncovering the truth, and developing the yanlu 言路, or “channels for arising criticisms and opinions,” are always at the center of focus. In a broad sense, the yanlu refers to the institutionalized channels through which information from the lower levels reaches the upper authorities in a traditional society. In a narrow sense, it specifically denotes the pathways for officials to present messages and opinions to the emperor. This paper focuses on the Song court’s institutional ways of obtaining information and how they actually worked. Behind the various manifestations lie the intentions of the policymakers and the inherent mechanisms of the bureaucratic system. The operational realities of the institutions also reflect the prevailing institutional culture of the time.

Since the advent of the 21st century, historical research on the Song Dynasty in China has exhibited notable new characteristics distinct from the past trends in terms of research landscape, documentation and research, postgraduate training, research orientations, research questions, and methodologies. These developments merit consideration. Concurrently, a renewed appreciation of the historical significance of the Song Dynasty, the reflection on the rise of the Naitō Hypothesis in Japan, and increasing calls for the study of the “Grand Song History” all indicate a new phase of in-depth development in the historical research on the Song Dynasty.

During the Xining era of the Northern Song Dynasty, Wang Anshi asserted that a sage king or a wise emperor “did not change his plan because of this outcry, for he considered it correct,” with a view to countering the opposition and reinforcing the determination of Emperor Shenzong for the Reforms. He believed that any political action which benefits people inevitably came with some minor harm and often shortsighted people and the typically treacherous or ignorant scholar-officials tend to question and obstruct the actions conforming to the Way based on these minor harms. Therefore, Emperor Shenzong should not be constrained by the opposition’s rhetoric that claims to represent “public discussion,” but should steadfastly implement the New Policies and severely punish dissenters. Wang Anshi frequently cited and interpreted Book of Documents to substantiate his thoughts and discourse, reflecting the significant and unique role that Book of Documents played in the thoughts and practices regarding Wang Anshi’s Reforms. Meanwhile, the scholar-officials opposing the New Policies adopted different interpretative approaches to express and argue their dissent, leading to numerous conflicts and “dialogues” regarding the interpretations on Book of Documents between the two sides.

In the Southern Song Dynasty, powerful ministers came to prominence in succession. Qin Hui served two terms as Grand Councilor for 19 years, while Han Tuozhou, Shi Miyuan, and Jia Sidao controlled the imperial government for a long time. As these ministers sought to control the appointments and dismissals of imperial edict drafters, the imperial edicts, which were meant to reflect the emperor’s will, gradually became tools for achieving their purposes with flattery or aggressive language. The imperial edict drafters not only had the duty to convey the emperor’s will in the writing of edicts but also needed to reflect impartiality and factual accuracy in their advocacy. While powerful ministers had a significant impact on the Southern Song politics, the scholar-officials’ commitment to maintaining the “rules of the founding emperor” allowed these officials to retain a political status that enabled their involvement in decision-making and to uphold public discourse. This dynamic, to some extent, created a balance of power between the emperor and the Grand Councilors. The writing of imperial edicts distinctly showcased the political competition among the emperor, powerful ministers, and the imperial edict drafters, shedding light on the trends and evolution of scholar-official politics in the Song Dynasty.

By exploring two parts of the concept of Grand Councilor in the Tang and Song dynasties, this paper proposes two ideal types of the monarchical domination in imperial China. Tongdian by Du You and Outstanding Models from the Storehouse of Literature compiled in 1013 present two essential elements in the concept of Grand Councilor. First, the Grand Councilor referred to the members of the Privy Group (Shuji, 枢机), the monarch’s private advisors who gave confidential advice on state affairs. Second, the Grand Councilor also served as the Supreme Overseer (Zongtong, 总统), the head of officials and bureaucracy. Among the two elements, the role of the Privy Group was more fundamental to the concept of Grand Councilor. In practice, the monarchs’ Privy Group included not only Grand Councilors but also Academicians, eunuchs, and imperial favorites. Together, they constituted the pivot for the domination of monarchs in the Tang and Northern Song dynasties. The direct rule through the Privy Group system and the Entrustment system through Supreme Overseer constituted two ideal types of the monarchical domination models in imperial China.

During the reign of Emperor Taizu of the Song Dynasty, the private imperial banquets were effectively employed to unify various political forces, cultivate a harmonious relationship characterized by shared happiness between the emperor and his ministers, and tackle challenging problems. The main attendees of these banquets comprised three groups, namely military commanders, Military Commissioners, royal families of various kingdoms, and Grand Councilor and close ministers, each serving distinct purposes and possessing unique characteristics. The banquets for military commanders were designed to serve both rewarding and controlling objectives. In addition, they aimed to provide reassurance for the Military Commissioners and royal families while simultaneously instilling fear. Moreover, banquets held for Grand Councilor and close ministers primarily functioned as an extension or supplement to court discussions. Throughout the process of reestablishing centralized rule, curbing Military Commissioners, and eliminating regional regimes under Emperor Taizu’s rule, the banquets played an irreplaceable political role. These all made private imperial banquets one of the important means of governance adopted by Emperor Taizu, which highlighted the distinctive pragmatic features of his reign.

The State Councilors at the Secretariat-Chancellery in the early Northern Song period generally started work during the Mao 卯 hour (at around 6:00) and did not finish until the Wei 未 hour (at around 14:00), resulting in a workday of about eight hours. According to where and how they did their work, their working schedule can be divided into five stages: waiting for the morning audience in the Dailou Hall, having an audience with the emperor, deliberating affairs in the Administration Chamber, handling work in respective agencies, and gathering again in the Administration Chamber. Everything was in order and the schedule was tight. This reflects a high standard of administrative management and institutional development, as well as the considerable work stress suffered by the State Councilors at the time.

The authorship of early Chinese classics is a highly complex issue, marked by the absence of specific authors, ambiguous records of authorship, the confusion between professional titles and authors’ alternate names, and the individual attribution of collective writting. This can be attributed to two primary factors: First, the writing system and authoring tradition in early China differed significantly from those of later periods; second, the consciousness of individual authorship had not yet fully developed. This situation represents a unique cultural phenomenon in early China that demands a comprehensive understanding. It is essential to abandon the later ages’ conception of authorship and instead integrate the complexities surrounding the creation of early Chinese classics with the diversity of authorship. In doing so, we can establish a dynamic view of authorship that aligns with the actual formation of the classics and reveal the role and significance of these authors in the creation of classics and the broader construction of Chinese culture.

From the Han to early Jin dynasties, compositions are all written on bamboo slips and wooden tablets and restricted by their dimensions and shapes. These slips and tablets featured distinctive writing patterns, literary genres, and text structures that are different from those of later paper books, becoming a unique writing system known as the bamboo slips and wooden tablets system. This writing system, formed based on the use of bamboo slips and wooden tablets, is characterized by its inclination to compose short essays in a range of practical genres. These essays are inscribed on small tablets, making them easy to carry and read. Despite their short length, typically composed of only a few dozen to a hundred characters, they are concise in language and full of meanings. There are more than ten genres, including imperial edicts and orders, argumentative essays, letters and correspondences, odes and panegyrics, exhortations and inscriptions, condolences and elegies, proclamations, rhymed proses, and rhapsodies. Due to their relatively low writing requirements and easyto-master nature, this form of writing quickly gains favor among literati and scholars and develops rapidly. Consequently, a literary landscape emerges where short works are popular and long works are neglected. As a result, most literati and scholars excel at writing short works but struggle with long ones. The emergence of this writing system and the associated writing skills is closely related to the limited writing capacity of bamboo slips and wooden tablets, as well as the different application scenarios of bamboo slips and wooden tablets. During the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the Southern Dynasties, with the widespread use of paper, books are then made of paper in scrolls that allow for continuous writing. This removes the constraints previously imposed by bamboo slips and wooden tablets on essay writing, enabling literati and scholars to focus more on structure, layout, and language organization during their writing. However, the concise writing style established in earlier generations has already been deeply entrenched, becoming a norm and a constraint for the writing of later literati and scholars. The bamboo slips and wooden tablets system, inherited from the Han, Wei, and early Jin dynasties, can still be faintly discerned. The formation of the bamboo slips and wooden tablets system during the Han and Jin dynasties illustrates the interplay between the generation mechanisms of early literary forms and the changes in writing mediums usedand literary styles of that time, which is worthy of depth investigation.

In early medieval China, books were rolled up in paper rolls. Roll is simple and ergonomic. It also had a profound influence on the structure, content, cataloguing and reading method of books. These further affected the production and dissemination of knowledge in early medieval China.

The publication of newly unearthed texts, such as “Recipes for Ailments” in the Qin bamboo slips of Peking University, has made the evolution of recipes for ailments clearer. First, in the Qin Dynasty, recipes for ailments often had no catalogs, and their contents were relatively heterogeneous. In the Western Han Dynasty, recipes for ailments were commonly categorized by the name of the ailment in the table of contents, and the format of the main text was in line with the table of contents. At the same time, the recipes for livestock, which were common in the Qin, disappeared in the early years of the Western Han. Additionally, incantation recipes were gradually marginalized after the middle of the Western Han Dynasty. In the Qin recipes for ailments, those related to incantations for removal (zhuyou 祝由) address a wide range of conditions, thereby blurring the boundaries between these recipes for ailments and other types of texts on calculations and arts (shushu 数术). Subsequently, in the Western Han Dynasty, the meaning of incantation recipes was narrowed to the way of dealing with human diseases, in contrast to medical treatments, with the boundary between recipes for ailments and other texts on calculations and arts becoming clearer. In conclusion, from the Qin to the transition between the Western and Eastern Han, recipes for ailments gradually took shape in terms of content, structure, and format, becoming more similar to the medical recipes of later ages.

In the age of manuscripts and transcripts, text generation can be ascribed to four distinct roles: the author, the narrator, the transcriber, and the scribe. The author is the creator of the text, while the scribe acts as the disseminator. The narrator and transcriber may perform the dual roles. Recognizing the different powers associated with these four roles, particularly how transcribers amalgamate diverse textual sources to produce “heterogeneous” derivative texts provides valuable insights into the text generation process and its underlying structure and literary elements during the age of manuscripts and transcripts. In essence, acknowledging the transcribers’ creativity in generating heterogeneous texts and exploring the establishment of a “transcriber studies” paradigm at the methodological level is crucial for advancing in-depth research on texts from the age of manuscripts and transcripts.