The Last Lord of the Tang, Li Yu (李煜, 李後主, 937-978), ascended the throne of the Southern Tang dynasty 南唐, also known as Jiangnan 江南, in Jinling (Nanking) in 961. A ruler of refined spirit and rare artistic achievement, Li lacked the skill to navigate the treacherous political waters of his day.… Read

Here we select two poets who, writing two centuries apart, draw on the complex history and imagery of Jinling. The Last Lord of the Tang, Li Yu (李煜, 李後主, 937-978), ascended the throne of the Southern Tang dynasty 南唐, also known as Jiangnan 江南, in Jinling (Nanking) in 961.… Read

Nathan Woolley On his way up the Yangtze River in 1170, the scholar-bureaucrat Lu You (陸游, 1125-1210) stayed in Jinling for five days. In the record of his trip, ‘An Account of a Journey to Shu’ 入蜀記, Lu You gave an account of his interactions with the city’s inhabitants and his explorations of many of its places of interest.… Read