Historical Records of Puyang: Five External Variations

Author: Yu Yang (Ming) and others
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2000-11-01
Features: During the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, the Southern Ming's Prince Tang ascended the throne in Fuzhou and established the Longwu era. The Qing army entered Fujian, and anti-Qing struggles led by Zheng Chenggong broke out in various parts of the province. The Qing court implemented strict maritime prohibition and boundary relocation policies, forcing coastal residents of Fujian to abandon their homes and livelihoods. Geng Jingzhong rebelled against the Qing in Fuzhou, plunging the province into another period of war. These events collectively shaped the written history of Fujian at the time: war-torn, socially turbulent, suffering, and tragic. For over three hundred years, due to various reasons, many local historical documents have been lost, especially firsthand accounts from the time. To rescue these precious local historical documents on the brink of extinction, at the proposal of the author, the editorial committee of the Fujian Series decided to compile and, under the author's specific responsibility, organized six manuscript records of contemporary accounts of Fujian's painful history—The Chronicle of the Pu Rebellion, The Lesser Chronicle of the Pu Rebellion, The Chronicles of Rongcheng, The Chronicle of the Kou Rebellion, The Chronicle of the Kou Rebellion, and The Chronicle of Jiaji. These were compiled into the ninth volume of the Fujian Series. The book follows a chronological structure, narrating events year by year. It begins in the seventeenth year of the Chongzhen era of the Ming dynasty (1644) and ends in the twenty-second year of the Kangxi era of the Qing dynasty (1683). From the seventeenth year of the Chongzhen era to the second year of the Longwu era, both Ming and Qing era names are used. Starting from the fourth year of the Shunzhi era, only the Qing emperor's era names are adopted for dating. The book chronicles events such as the Southern Ming's Longwu Prince ascending the throne in Fuzhou, the Qing army's southward advance, the devastation of Jiangnan, Zheng Chenggong and others rising in rebellion against the Qing, recapturing Taiwan, Geng Jingzhong's rebellion against the Qing, the enmity between Geng and Zheng (Jing), the Qing army's pacification of Fujian, and the unification of Taiwan. It covers regions including Zhangzhou, Quanzhou, Tong'an, and Fuzhou, with a focus on Putian. The content is relatively detailed, especially in its records of the suffering of the people in Putian during the early Qing dynasty under war, including extortion by officials and soldiers, heavy taxation, severe punishments, and acts of burning, killing, and looting. These accounts are not found in other historical records. Additionally, it mentions the actions of some of Zheng Chenggong's subordinates that。