Qing Dynasty's Record of Gentle Diplomacy

Author: (Qing) Wang Zhichun
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-03-01
Features: This book systematically records the Sino-foreign relations before the Guangxu era of the Qing Dynasty, particularly the aggressive activities of European powers in China, reflecting the weak and ignorant mentality of Qing rulers. The book is divided into twelve volumes, with the first eighteen volumes as the main part, narrating the history of Sino-foreign interactions from the first year of the Shunzhi era to the thirteenth year of the Tongzhi era over more than two hundred years, as well as certain historical events between the Qing Dynasty and ethnic minorities in the frontier regions. The last two volumes are appendices, including "A General Survey of Coastal Nations," "Random Remarks on the West," "A Brief Overview of Coastal Conditions," "Returning to the Sea," "Coastal Prosperity," and "Three Island Division." This book is another comprehensive work on the history of Sino-foreign relations in the Qing Dynasty, appearing after the "Annals of China and the West" following the Xia incident in the second half of the 19th century. The book is rich in sources. According to Wang Zhichun himself, the historical facts in the book are based not only on accumulated official documents but also on collected memorials of officials, writings by renowned scholars, Western maps, and selected private works from various authors.