Drawing on a wide range of sources, this book discusses the social history of China in the period 960–1279, comparing the different ethnic cultures of Song 'China' and its neighbouring empires. This valuable reference work for our understanding of the Song, Liao, Western Xia and Jin Dynasties presents recent Chinese research in English translation for the first time, exploring topics including material culture, food, technology, ritual, religion, medicine, gender, family and language.