"The Law of Our Ancestors (Revised Edition) A Brief Account of the Politics of the Early Northern Song Dynasty" Author: Deng Xiaonan Publisher: Life·Reading·New Knowledge Sanlian Bookstore

Introduction
"This book discusses the development and changes of the ancestral law in the Song Dynasty. Although it focuses on the early Northern Song Dynasty, it actually explains the process of how the rulers and ministers of the two Song dynasties chose the words and deeds of their ancestors and made different interpretations and uses due to changes in current affairs. It not only creates an image of the ancestors that can be emulated, but also serves as a talisman for their governance. The author uses rich materials, concise text, and rigorous attitude to deeply explore the complex and changeable relationship between the meaning and facts behind the discourse of the ancestral law in the Song Dynasty. There are narration, analysis, and discussion. It is not only the main clue to understanding the political characteristics of the Song Dynasty and the main topic of grasping the overall political development of the Song Dynasty, but also the most in-depth and insightful academic monograph on the politics and culture of the Song Dynasty in recent years. It is worth pondering and reading carefully. - Huang Kuanzhong"
"The 'laws of ancestors' are treated as a complex with a clear and stable core and a broad and flexible outer edge. Its basic spirit is 'to make rules for things and to guard against crookedness'. It includes a number of 'practices', such as defending the interior and weakening the exterior, controlling the military with civil power, suppressing eunuchs and relatives, and respecting literati. At the same time, it also includes various 'explanations', presenting itself as a 'comprehension of discourses', formed by 'smearing', 'accumulation' and 'superposition'. The understanding of it may vary from person to person, place to place and time to time. Its intention is original and its exposition is 'three-dimensional', with skillful techniques, delicate analysis and a sense of proportion. The complex interactive relationship between politics and culture it reveals provides fresh inspiration for looking into Chinese politics from a cultural perspective. - Yan Buke"
About the Author
Deng Xiaonan was born in Beijing in June 1950 and graduated from the History Department of Peking University in 1985. He is currently a professor at the Center for Research on Ancient Chinese History of Peking University.
She has been engaged in teaching and research work in ancient Chinese history for many years. Her main research areas are the history of the Song Dynasty, the history of ancient Chinese bureaucracy, and the history of women in the Tang and Song dynasties. Her academic achievements include monographs such as "The Various Aspects of the Selection and Appointment System of Civil Officials in the Song Dynasty" and more than 50 research papers published in domestic and foreign academic journals. She has participated in the editing of "Women and Society in the Tang and Song Dynasties" and "Collection of Studies on Chinese History by Taiwanese Scholars".