A Discussion on the Late Ming History: Re-evaluating the Decline of the End Times

Author: Liu Zhiqin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-06-01
Features: Late Ming History: Revisiting the Decline of the End Times by Liu Zhiqin, published by Jiangxi University Press in June 2004. The book points out that as manifestations of governing crises, such as corrupt administration, palace turmoil, financial exhaustion, and neglected military preparedness, the late Ming period was more severe in its suffering than the end times of the Han, Tang, and Song dynasties, with phenomena rarely seen in other dynasties. These phenomena fully reflect that the existing ruling order had collapsed beyond (self-rescue), and in a sense, they better signify that the feudal autocratic system was already on the brink of terminal decline, requiring history to make a new choice. This book studies the late Ming history from a cultural perspective. The rapid development of commercial economy in the late Ming and the reckless governance of the highest rulers led to the decline of the end times in political ethics, social ideals, cultural entertainment, and daily life, marking the beginning of humanistic enlightenment. It offers unique analyses and interpretations of the direction of the late Ming economic development, the Donglin Party members, and Zhang Junzheng’s reforms, among others. The late Ming was a turning point in Chinese feudal autocracy, with alienating factors within the social womb continuously eroding the feudal ruling hierarchy, leading to the decline of the end times. The ruling institutions showed tendencies of self-destruction, and the decline and transformation of Neo-Confucianism opened the way for the outpouring of enlightenment thought, potentially bringing China’s modernization earlier.