Instead of viewing the Eastern Jin dynasty as a linear extension of imperial China's inherent logic, the author decided to treat this particular period as an episode of abnormality between the rather politically continuous empires of Han and Tang. Unlike most academic works on Chinese history, this book largely relies on historical narratives with heavy references to various primary sources -- a unique of discussing history that some readers might not be acquainted with. It is thoroughly understandable why receptions of the book among the general public were mixed at best, for reasonably speaking the book really was an introduction to Eastern Jin politics with emphasis on checks and balances between the emperor and the aristocrats, instead of a comprehensively question-driven treatise on specific issues. For starters, the book would be overwhelmingly incomprehensible; whereas for people with more-than-adequate historical understandings of stated periods, the work simply dodged several important questions and left many disappointed.
Despite those above-mentioned, the book's merits, along with its profound influence on academic views on the development of China's imperial structures, shouldn't be underestimated. It is, rather disappointing that this period of Chinese history often faces negligence in classrooms, given its richness in stories and significance in societal developments. I expect a simplified adaptation of this book to be included in future high school history course outlines.