Anthology of the Central Plain

An anthology of some 250 Jin poets with a biographical note on each, compiled to preserve the memory of the dynasty after its fall. The notes name offices held, examination years and patrons, so they document the literati, officials and even some Jurchen nobles who were alive and in post around 1200, including men of the Zhangzong court. For 1200 it is a prosopography more than a narrative, and it is the main source for many minor Jin figures.