{"product_id":"tang-china-in-multi-polar-asia-zhenping-wang-9780824836443","title":"Tang China in Multi-Polar Asia: A History of Diplomacy and War","description":"\u003cp\u003eUsing a synthetic narrative approach, this ambitious work uses the lens of multipolarity to analyze Tang China's (618-907) relations with Turkestan; the Korean states of Koguryŏ, Silla, and Paekche; the state of Parhae in Manchuria; and the Nanzhao and Tibetan kingdoms. Without any one entity able to dominate Asia's geopolitical landscape, the author argues that relations among these countries were quite fluid and dynamic--an interpretation that departs markedly from the prevalent view of China fixed at the center of a widespread \"tribute system.\" \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eTo cope with external affairs in a tumultuous world, Tang China employed a dual management system that allowed both central and local officials to conduct foreign affairs. The court authorized Tang local administrators to receive foreign visitors, forward their diplomatic letters to the capital, and manage contact with outsiders whose territories bordered on China. Not limited to handling routine matters, local officials used their knowledge of border situations to influence the court's foreign policy. Some even took the liberty of acting without the court's authorization when an emergency occurred, thus adding another layer to multipolarity in the region's geopolitics. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe book also sheds new light on the ideological foundation of Tang China's foreign policy. Appropriateness, efficacy, expedience, and mutual self-interest guided the court's actions abroad. Although officials often used \"virtue\" and \"righteousness\" in policy discussions and announcements, these terms were not abstract universal principles but justifications for the pursuit of self-interest by those involved. Detailed philological studies reveal that in the realm of international politics, \"virtue\" and \"righteousness\" were in fact viewed as pragmatic and utilitarian in nature. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eComprehensive and authoritative, Tang China in Multi-Polar Asia is a major work on Tang foreign relations that will reconceptualize our understanding of the complexities of diplomacy and war in imperial China.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Zhenping Wang\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0824836448\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780824836443\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Hawaii Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/01\/2013\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 480\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.72lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.10h x 6.10w x 1.20d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/01\/2014","brand":"Zhenping Wang","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48065197310207,"sku":"9780824836443","price":80.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_d2b95e1f-19fd-4f2f-a664-02a718d524ab.jpg?v=1768673641","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/tang-china-in-multi-polar-asia-zhenping-wang-9780824836443","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}