Portrait of Emperor Taizu of Song

Emperor Taizu original: 宋太祖 (Song Taizu); the founding emperor, Zhao Kuangyin (r. 960–976 CE)

This woodcut portrait depicts the founder of the Song Dynasty in the formal attire of a high-ranking official and sovereign. This specific style of representation became the standard historical likeness for Zhao Kuangyin in late imperial Chinese encyclopedias.

The Iconography of the Founder:

• The Official Cap original: 幞頭 (futou): The Emperor is shown wearing a black headpiece with distinctive long, horizontal "wings" or "ears." While these originated in earlier dynasties, Song tradition mandated these long, stiff extensions to prevent court officials from whispering to one another during formal assemblies, thereby ensuring decorum and focus on the Emperor.
• The Round-Collared Robe: He wears the standard formal robe of the imperial court. His posture is upright and dignified, reflecting the stability he brought to China after the chaos of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.

Portrait of the First Emperor, Zhao Kuangyin

Zhao Kuangyin was a military commander who supposedly had the "yellow robe" of imperial power thrust upon him by his soldiers in a coup at Chenqiao. Despite his military origins, he is most famous for "dissolving military power with a cup of wine," a strategic move where he convinced his generals to trade their military commands for wealth and titles. This shifted the power of the Chinese state from military governors to a civilian bureaucracy of scholar-officials, a defining characteristic of Song Dynasty governance.