Scholarship on Xiao Tong in both China and the West has paid little attention to his own writings beyond the influential anthology compiled by the Liang Crown Prince. Adopting a philological approach, this book thorougly examines a multitude of texts written by Xiao Tong and his entourage, many of whom were powerful writers in their own right. In addition to drawing a picture of important aspects of Liang court culture such as education, literary composition, personal relations, and ideological and religious trends, this study also redresses a long-standing bias against court poetry. It will enhance our understanding not only of the early sixth-century but also, indirectly, of a significant portion of pre-modern Chinese literature in general.
