Princes of Jade

London England: Cardinal, 1973. On the 27th June, 1968, during the Cultural Revolution, great excitement was caused throughout China by the excavation of the Man Ch'eng tombs - a discovery that ranks high among the great archaeological finds of this century. In these huge tombs, carved out of living rock, were found the bodies of Liu Sheng, a prince of the Han Dynasty (206BC - 220 AD), and his consort, Princess Tou Wan. The bodies had been covered from head to toe in suits of finely-carved interlocking jade pieces, held together by wires of gold and silver - figures of exquisite beauty and craftsmanship. The author has used the lives of the Jade Princes as the focus for this fascinating account of China in the age of the first of the great ruling dynasties. He examines the wars and politics that gave birth to the Han State, the triumph of Confucianism, the ritual magnificence of the Han Court, the rhythms of the countryside, the tramp of armies from the Great Wall in the north to the Gulf of Tonkin fifteen hundred miles to the south, and the flowering of the arts. He traces also how the Confucian beliefs adopted by the Han Dynasty became part of the culture and still remain essential to an understanding of modern Chinese society. Illustrated. Slight foxing to end pages. 1st Paperback Edition. Softcover. Very Good. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Softcover.