Six Dynasties Civilization.

• Author: Farmer, J. Michael

Six Dynasties Civilization. By ALBERT E. DIEN. Early Chinese Civilization Series. New Haven: YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS, 2007. Pp. x + 610, maps. figs. $85.

Albert Dien's Six Dynasties Civilization stands as both the culmination of a career's work on early medieval China and as a standing invitation to further scholarship which takes into account the material culture of the age. The book, while explicitly claiming to be a study of Six Dynasties material culture, offers teasing glimpses of the results of scholarship integrating the more familiar textual records of the age with its less familiar material artifacts. Dien directly states his intentions for the book: "It is hoped that this volume will be a start in coming to grips with the material culture of the period and will help further our understanding of Chinese society during this so-called Dark Age between the better known dynasties of the Han and the Tang" (p. viii); and "Perhaps the study of [Six Dynasties] material culture to supplement the written sources will lead to a better, more balanced understanding of that segment of China's history and more insightful generalizations" (p. 14).

The book opens with a general historical overview, providing not only an historical outline, but also addressing important issues of social and political organization, literary culture, military and economic activity in both north and south China. In this chapter, Dien introduces the stereotypical view of the period: "The Five Barbarians bringing disorder to China" (p. 6), and then demonstrates through the material and literary evidence the manner in which tensions were negotiated by both sides through concessions and adaptations. Throughout the remainder of the book, Dien is careful to identify not only "north-south" distinctions, but also the similarities and differences in product and practice between smaller geographic subregions and between Han Chinese and non-Han nomadic peoples. This introduction, along with the "Afterword," offers a very concise outline of the main characteristics and themes of the period, and is presented in a manner accessible to undergraduate students.

The thirteen chapters that follow, however, are clearly aimed toward a scholarly audience, with each chapter addressing a particular aspect of Six Dynasties civilization. Chapter one, "Cities and Outposts" offers a geographic and chronological survey of cities during the period. For north China, Dien presents details and discussions of Ye [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (capital of Three States period Wei), Jinyang [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (secondary capital of Eastern Wei and Northern Qi), Xunyang [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Shengle [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] and Pingcheng [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (Northern Wei capitals), Luoyang [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII], and Chang'an [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]. Of these cities, Luoyang receives the most thorough treatment, with Dien outlining the history, shape, and key features (walls and walled enclosures, gates, palace areas, parks, inner and outer cities, wards, etc.) of the city. For the south, Dien discusses Wuchang [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII], Yangzhou [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII], and Nanjing [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII], the latter receiving a more comprehensive treatment than the...