Corruption and intrigue have weakened Emperor Huizong’s government.

Huizong, the eighth emperor of the Northern Song dynasty of the Han, promotes Taoism, and is one of the three Chinese emperors to prohibit Buddhism.

Also a skilled poet, painter, calligrapher, and musician, he gains renown for his painstakingly rendered bird-and-flower paintings and for his so-called slender-gold calligraphy style.

An avid collector whose patronage extends to music, poetry, and the minor arts, Huizong acquires more than sixty-three hundred paintings for the imperial gallery and presides over a new imperial academy of outstanding painting.

A true artist, Huizong has neglected the army, and Song China has become increasingly weak and at the mercy of foreign enemies.