Song Taizong, the Emperor of Song Dynasty presents a vivid image of the second emperor of the Song Dynasty (960-1279). [Photo provided to China Daily]

Song Taizong, the Emperor of Song Dynasty was recently published by Guangdong People's Publishing House.

The book was written by Zhang Qifan, a researcher at the Institute of Chinese Culture and History at Jinan University and a renowned contemporary expert in Song (960-1279) history.

Zhong Weimin, a professor at Department of History at Tsinghua University, says that the book is written in a smooth and concise manner and presents a vivid image of the second emperor of the Song Dynasty.

"This book is not only fascinating, but also particularly helpful for us to understand the history of the Song Dynasty in a comprehensive and in-depth manner," Zhong comments.

Cao Jiaqi, a professor at Department of History at Sun Yat-sen University, says the book seems to be a biography of the Song emperor, but in actuality is a high-level monograph on the political history of the emperor and the early Song Dynasty.

According to Cao, the book not only presents the historical facts of the emperor's life, achievements, talents, family and children but also provides an in-depth analysis of the key political events and issues of that time.