Introduction; Part I. The Wider Historical Context: 1. Eurasia in Empire's wake; 2. Daidu's fall; 3. Changing fortunes; 4. Black city; Part II. Chinggisid Narrative at Home: 5. Telling stories and selling rulership; 6. A precarious tale; Part III. A Hard Crowd: 7. Letters to the Great Khan; 8. South of the clouds; 9. Chinggisid fold; Part IV. East Asia: 10. Eastern neighbours; Conclusion.
Memories of the Mongol Empire loomed large in fourteenth-century Eurasia. Robinson explores how Ming China exploited these memories for its own purposes.
David M. Robinson is Robert H. N. Ho Professor in Asian Studies and Professor of History at Colgate University, New York. He is widely published, including Seeking Order in A Tumultuous Age: The Writings of Chŏng Tojŏn, a Korean Neo-Confucian (2016), Martial Spectacles of the Ming Court (2013), Empire's Twilight: Northeast Asia under the Mongols (2009), and Bandits, Eunuchs, and the Son of Heaven: Rebellion and the Economy of Violence in Mid-Ming China (2000).
'By concentrating on the ambivalence and uncertainty with which the
early Ming viewed their mighty Mongol predecessors, David M.
Robinson provides a new and richly-nuanced history which moves well
beyond centuries-old stereotypes. This is a major contribution to
the history of Eurasia, the implications of which should change our
view of imperial China's place in the world.' Craig Clunas,
University of Oxford
'David M. Robinson has produced a superbly researched study that
tells the story of the early Ming dynasty's reckoning with and
refashioning of the memory and legacy of Mongol rule in China. The
book vividly illustrates the continent-wide extent of Mongol ruling
culture, and presents a fresh and insightful new portrait of the
Ming dynastic founder.' Nicola Di Cosmo, Institute for Advanced
Study, New Jersey
'By revealing for the first time Zhu Yuanzhang's monumental project
of legitimating his rule in terms of the Mongol imperial legacy,
David M. Robinson has completely rewritten our understanding of not
only the Ming dynasty and Chinese history, but also the history of
early modern Eurasia.' Johan Elverskog, Southern Methodist
University, Texas
'… this learned book contributes to the study of global history,
aided by Robinson's clear and jargon-free writing, though readers
should be generally familiar with Asian history.' M. Rossabi,
Choice
'… stimulating and thoughtful book …' Charles Melville, Journal of
Interdisciplinary History
'… Robinson's thorough translations and meticulous analyses of a
wide array of textual and material sources present a detailed and
fascinating insight into the history of Ming diplomacy towards the
Eurasian world in the second half of the fourteenth century that
has been long overdue.' Julia C. Schneider, China and Asia
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