Arts Along the Great Wall
A Cultural History of the Mongol Rise
Shane McCauslandA cultural history of the nomadic arts and lifeways that shaped the rise of the Mongol Empire
The Mongol Empire was the largest contiguous empire in history, but its origins lie in a rich and often overlooked cultural world that flourished long before the rise of Chinggis Khan. This book traces the history of Northeast Asia from around 900 to 1400, focusing on the dynamic region along the Great Wall where nomadic and sedentary societies met, competed and exchanged ideas. By placing the arts, cultures and lifeways of nomadic peoples at the centre of the story, it challenges conventional narratives that privilege imperial China alone. Reconstructing the cultural foundations of the Mongol rise, it reveals how the peoples who ruled the frontier shaped the emergence of a medieval superpower and transformed the history of Eurasia.
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An excellent introduction to the arts and cultures of a number of states in Middle Period North China. In taking the Great Wall as a zone of cultural convergence, rather than a border or barrier, McCausland’s approach is one that assumes cultural exchange on multiple levels of society as a given, rather than exclusively occurring at the state level. Additionally . . . the book brings in a laudably wide range of art objects in different media to showcase specific points about northern nomadic and semi-nomadic cultures in the 10th–14th centuries.
'Eiren L . Shea, Associate Professor of Art History, Grinnell College, Iowa, and author of Mongol Court Dress, Identity Formation, and Global Exchange
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Arts Along the Great Wall is a valuable reassessment of the significant cultural roles played by the mostly nomadic people living north of China. Shane McCausland questions the traditional Chinese dynasties’ views of these groups as “uncultured barbarians”.
'Morris Rossabi, Distinguished Professor of History, City University of New York, and author of The Mongols and Global History
Introduction: When China was Cathay
1 Nomads on the Great Wall: The Kitan Great Liao, 907–1125
2 Semi-Nomads on the Great Wall: The Jurchen Great Jin, 1115–1234
3 The Artistic Formation of the Great Mongol State, from 1206
4 The Great Yuan, 1271–1368: Straddling the Wall, Strategically
Conclusion
Appendix: The Critical Framework
References
Select Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements
Index
Shane McCausland is Percival David Professor of the History of Art at SOAS University of London. His many books include The Mongol Century: Visual Cultures of Yuan China, 1271–1368 (2014) and The Art of the Chinese Picture-Scroll (2023), both published by Reaktion Books.
