Networks and Fame: Literary Social Circles from the Late Song to the Early Yuan

Abstract

Abstract: This article argues that the late Southern Song was a time of emerging cross-regional “social circles” based on literary interactions. To explicate non-official literati’s vigorous activities and connections outside of local society, the study adopts the concept of “social circle” developed by Charles Kadushin in his study of social networks. After the Mongol conquest, southern literati maintained cross-regional connections that bridged bureaucratic elite and local societies. Participating in literary “social circles” provided literati with new possibilities for achieving fame, exchanging information, making associations, and adapting to political and institutional changes.