Ming Shi Yanyi

Author: Cai Dongfan
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-08-01
Features: Cai Dongfan's "Popular Histories of China" spans from the Qin and Han dynasties to the Republic of China, comprising over 1,000 chapters and more than 5 million words, covering nearly 2,200 years of history. Based on reliable historical records, supplemented by folk histories, the material is carefully selected, the perspective is balanced, the content is rich, the narrative is well-structured, the language is elegant and concise, with self-commentary and annotations, combining both rationality and literary charm. It is indeed a classic in popular historical writing. Since its publication, the book has been widely acclaimed and praised. In the mid-1930s, Mao Zedong once sent a telegraph to Li Kekun to purchase two copies of this book to help the cadres in Yan'an study Chinese history. It was often placed beside his bed in his bedroom. The renowned historian Zai Degeng believed that while the book has some shortcomings as a historical source, its content is sufficiently rich, and the narrative is systematic. The famous novelist Erhu River thought that the book is only mediocre in literary terms, but it serves as an entry point to understanding the nation's history, and it is unique with no other comparable works. The coup at Chenqiao led to the Yellow Robe being placed on Zhao Kuangyin, who seized the throne of the Zhou dynasty and became an emperor. However, fate had it that the Liao, Jin, and Yuan dynasties rose in the north one after another, causing repeated border troubles. The Northern Song dynasty suppressed its military too harshly, lacking capable generals, and despite expecting to recover the sixteen prefectures of Yan and Yun, it ended up losing both emperors to capture. The Southern Song dynasty failed to appoint capable ministers, with a shortage of loyal advisors. Although a few skilled generals emerged, they were betrayed and by treacherous ministers, leading to at Fengbo Pavilion and the tragic fate of Xi Shi returning on a donkey by the West Lake. The people grew disheartened, passively accepting defeat and ruin, until even the last scion of the Zhao family was isolated overseas, with the final demise at Mount Ya and the disappearance of imperial descendants. In the end, the 320-year reign of the Song dynasty was brought to an end. In reality, however, the Song dynasty had several benevolent policies: First, it disciplined the imperial court, avoiding female-related troubles; second, it restrained eunuchs, preventing eunuch-related disasters; third, it maintained good relations with imperial relatives, avoiding troubles from the imperial clan; fourth, it prevented interference from in-laws, avoiding disasters from foreign relatives; fifth, it abolished the command of imperial guards, preventing troubles from powerful feudal lords. Not only could it not match the Han and Tang dynasties, even the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties might have been inferior in this regard. This was also the reason why the Song dynasty could maintain the people's loyalty and enjoy a long reign.