| Abstract |
This study examines collective descriptions relating to sons of Emperor Taizu of Jin, as these descriptions are found in Sung dynasty records. The term “collective description” refers to a standard way of listing basic personal information-matters such as an individual’s name, birth order, social status, accomplishments, kinship position, and so on. Examining collective descriptions enables us to come to a better understanding of the sons of Emperor Taizu of Jin. In this paper, seven historical records from the Sung dynasty are examined, namely, Jinlu jieyao, Songmo jiwen, Shenluji, Jinlu tujing, Jianyan yilai xinian yaolu, Jianyan yilai chaoye zaji, and Xubian liangchao gangmu beiyao. The information contained in these works is also compared with that found in the Jinshi, the official dynastic history of the Jin dynasty. Three major conclusions emerge from this investigation. First, the collective descriptions examined follow narrative structures found in the writings of the historian Li Xinchuan. Second, collective descriptions tend to become less all-encompassing as time goes on; the lives of fewer individuals are recorded, but the information offered tends to be more detailed and specific. Third, as far as the sons of Emperor Taizu of Jin are concerned, Zongbi, Zongwang, Zongfu, Zongjun and Zonggan are described in more concrete terms, while Zongjie, Zongjun, Zongqiang and Zongmin are described in more general terms. The difference in coverage is a result of two main factors: whether the sons had any great accomplishments (as a result of their participation in wars against the Sung dynasty), and whether they were the fathers of subsequent Jin emperors. |
