Ancient Historical Texts (Ming and Qing Volumes 1 and 2)

Author: Compiled by the Institute of History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-11-01
Features: Over ten years ago, our institute invited colleagues to select three papers each and compile them into a collection as an academic archive. However, due to the large volume and constraints of the time, it was not published. This year, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of our institute's establishment, we reduced the scale of selected papers and invited colleagues to compile this collection once again. On one hand, it serves to celebrate the anniversary; on the other hand, it allows us to glimpse the academic pursuit of several generations of scholars for truth-seeking.
The authors of this collection are all researchers and associate researchers from our institute. Active and retired colleagues selected one paper each, while deceased teachers were assisted by relevant experts to select one as well, totaling 180 papers. However, due to various constraints, except for a few teachers, all papers are within 10,000 words. Therefore, some excellent papers with slightly larger volumes were not included, and they cannot fully represent the representative works of our colleagues. Additionally, some researchers were unable to submit papers on time due to various reasons, and as the publication date approaches, we had to make some sacrifices.
The papers in this collection span from the pre-Qin period to the Ming and Qing dynasties, roughly categorized by historical periods. They are divided into four volumes: the Pre-Qin Volume, the Qin, Han, Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties Volume, the Sui, Tang, Song, Liao, Jin, and Yuan Dynasties Volume, and the Ming and Qing Dynasties Volume. Some comprehensive topics that cannot be confined to specific dynasties are grouped under a general category and placed at the beginning of the collection.
Historical research is a rigorous and creative endeavor, requiring every word to be backed by evidence and every sentence to have a source. The discipline's inherent characteristics dictate that historical research must start from historical materials, rely on solid academic accumulation, and be grounded in truth-seeking, without any trace of falsification or exaggeration.
Historical research is also a part of the great cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics. The mission of academia and the responsibility of society demand that historians (stand firmly in the present), serve the people, and adhere to using the stance, perspective, and methods of Marxism to guide our academic practice. Our research findings must respect history and pursue truthfulness.
The 50 years of the Institute of History have been a process of arduous struggle. Over the past half-century, generations of historians have worked tirelessly here, silently dedicating themselves to the academic cause of the nation and its people. Moving forward, we will continue as always, using our creative labor to contribute to the theoretical innovation of Marxism in China, to the further development and prosperity of philosophy and social sciences in our country, and to the great cause of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects for the Chinese nation. We will keep learning, keep contributing, and keep dedicating ourselves.