Jin Shi (8 Volumes)

Author: (Yuan) Tuo Tuo et al.
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-01-01
Features: The History of the Jin Dynasty consists of 135 volumes, including 19 volumes of chronicles, 39 volumes of treatises, 4 volumes of tables, and 73 volumes of biographies. It is a feudal historical record documenting the rise and fall of the Jin Dynasty. Although the historical perspective of The History of the Jin Dynasty is reactionary, by analyzing it with Marxist viewpoints and looking beyond the surface to the essence, we can still find many valuable references. Especially when the Veritable Records of the Jin Dynasty and other works by Wang E have been lost, it remains an important historical source for studying the Jin Dynasty. In this book, the Biography of Loyalty and Righteousness, in order to commend the stubborn local strongman Shi Maoxian and his resistance against the Red Turban Army, unintentionally depicts a scene where a Red Turban Army general Guo San occupied Mizi and passed through the village where Shi Maoxian lived. The villagers gathered in groups to welcome the uprising army and warmly referred to Guo San as a general. Although the author's intention was to contrast the "loyalty and righteousness" of this strongman, it inadvertently reveals the friendly attitude and emotions of the people toward the uprising army. As for the suppression of the Wolohe Uprising by Emperor Shizong of the Jin, in order to highlight the "great achievements" of this so-called "benevolent ruler," this book records the beginning and end of the incident in the Biography of Treacherous Officials in a relatively detailed manner. Some folk rhymes in the Treatise on the Five Elements, such as the one popular in Weizhou during the Zhengyou era—"Winter is round, half a year chopped, Cold Food Festival, no people"—vividly reflect the desperate and desolate conditions of the people at the end of the Jin Dynasty. These provide insights into the class struggle at the time and the social reality under brutal class exploitation and oppression. The History of the Jin Dynasty also systematically records the development history of the Jurchen people, particularly the early period of the Jurchen and related ethnic groups, which are rarely found in other historical records. The treatises in this book are quite detailed, providing useful materials for studying the institutional systems, administrative divisions, and natural phenomena of the Jin Dynasty.