Ming Dynasty Cultural Studies

Author: Nan Bingwen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: In the year 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty. By the spring of 1644, due to the peasant uprising led by Li Zicheng, the regime ruling the entire country was overthrown, and the Prince of Fu ascended the throne in Nanjing, establishing the Southern Ming regime that controlled southern China. In 1645, the Prince of Fu's regime was destroyed by the Qing Dynasty, and the Prince of Fu became a captive of the Qing. Later, there were other Southern Ming regimes such as the Regime of Lu Jiangguo, Tang Wang, and Gui Wang, until 1662 when Gui Wang became a captive of the Qing. Only then did the Southern Ming regime, led by descendants of the Zhu family and controlling parts of southern China, finally come to an end. However, there was still the Zheng family regime, which continued to use the era name Yongli of Gui Wang as the last remaining force of the Southern Ming regime in Taiwan. In 1683, the Zheng family regime surrendered to the Qing, and only then did the Ming Dynasty established by Zhu Yuanzhang officially come to an end. The complex historical situation described above has led to multiple different views on the lower limit of the Ming Dynasty's existence. Some take the year 1644, others take 1645, 1662, or 1683, each with its own reasoning. However, when considering the overall situation of China at the time, before 1644, the Ming Dynasty controlled most of the country and was the most powerful force in Chinese political life. After the spring of 1644, this role was replaced by the Qing Dynasty. Therefore, from a macro perspective, the spring of 1644 should be regarded as the dividing line between the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty. Before this date, it should be referred to as the Ming Dynasty period, and after this date, as the Qing Dynasty period. In light of this, this book follows the principle of setting 1644 as the lower limit of the Ming Dynasty's existence, largely restricting the discussed content to the period from 1368 to 1644, with only occasional exceptions.