Royal Readings of the Twenty-Four Histories, Complete Eight Volumes

Author: None
Publisher: Tianjin Ancient Books Press
Publishing Time: None
Features: The term "The Twenty-Four Histories" refers to the collective name of twenty-four historical books. It originated from Emperor Wu of Han and ended with Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, compiled over 1,800 years through the dedicated efforts of historians from the Western Han Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty. The name "The Twenty-Four Histories" also gradually formed. Before the Tang Dynasty, Sima Qian's "Records of the Grand Historian," Ban Gu's "History of the Han Dynasty," and Fan Ye's "History of the Later Han Dynasty" were often collectively referred to as "The Three Histories." Later, Chen Shou's "Records of the Three Kingdoms" was added, making it "The Four Histories." By the Northern Song Dynasty, thirteen more books—such as "History of the Jin Dynasty," "History of the Song Dynasty," "History of Southern Qi," "History of the Liang Dynasty," "History of the Chen Dynasty," "History of the Wei Dynasty," "History of the Northern Qi," "History of the Zhou Dynasty," "History of the Sui Dynasty," "History of the Southern Dynasties," "History of the Northern Dynasties," "New History of the Tang Dynasty," and "New History of the Five Dynasties"—were added, collectively known as "The Seventeen Histories." In the Ming Dynasty, "History of the Song Dynasty," "History of Liao," "History of Jin," and "History of Yuan" were added, making it "The Twenty-One Histories." During the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, "History of the Ming Dynasty" was added, forming "The Twenty-Two Histories." Shortly after, "Old History of the Tang Dynasty" and "Old History of the Five Dynasties" were included. Upon the imperial decree of Emperor Qianlong, "The Twenty-Four Histories" was ultimately established. This is what later generations referred to as "Imperially Decreed Twenty-Four Histories," also known as "Imperial Readings Twenty-Four Histories." Although the publication dates of each book in "The Twenty-Four Histories" do not strictly follow the chronological order of dynasties, and some are even arranged out of sequence, it remains a historical work organized by dynastic order. The entire set contains over 23 million words, providing a detailed account of the tumultuous historical journey of the Chinese nation. Its content covers various fields such as politics, military affairs, economy, culture, diplomacy, science and technology, law, religion, art, folk customs, and more, serving as an primary source for understanding and researching Chinese history.