Annals of the History of the Qing Dynasty

Author: Huang Hongshou
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-05-02
Features: This book comprises over 400,000 words, covering nearly three hundred years of history from the rise of the Manchus to the abdication of the Xuantong Emperor during the Qing Dynasty. It selects important events, detailing their origins and endings, each with its own title and chronological dates as the beginning and end. This approach enables readers to grasp the most influential major historical events from the complex historical phenomena and understand their causes, consequences, and development. For instance, regarding the Qing court's domestic affairs, the listed items include "Dorgon's Regency and the Princes' Feuds," "The Reversals in Succession," "Brotherly Rivalries and the Execution of Ministers," "The Truth of the Imperial Abdication," "The Rise and Fall of the Taiping Movement," "The Rise and Fall of the Nian Rebellion," and "The Declaration of Preparatory Constitutional Reform." All these are compiled in detail. As for the frontier defenses and military campaigns since the Kangxi and Qianlong reigns, and the foreign military campaigns after the Daoguang and Xianfeng reigns, all matters related to international and frontier affairs are also recorded in detail.
This book also incorporates the strengths of previous works that compiled annals of events. For example, following the style of Zuo Zhuan Ji Shì Běn Mò, it establishes dedicated entries for individuals and events related to the rise and fall of the Qing Dynasty, such as "Heshen's Greed," "Qianlong's Peak Prosperity," and "The Increase of Military Strength." Given the frequent changes in academia and their close relevance, it follows the example of Yuan Shi Ji Shì Běn Mò to include a chapter titled "An Overview of the Academic Changes of the Qing Dynasty in Two Hundred Years" to discuss the academic evolution during the Qing era. Drawing from the examples of Zuo Zhuan Ji Shì Běn Mò and Jin Yuan Ji Shì Běn Mò, it appends comments at the end of each event to express the author's views on the matter.