Illustrated World - Ming

Author: Gong Shuduo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: This is a rigidly controlled era. Government surveillance over society has reached the most stringent level in history; the corruption of eunuchs only added to the suffering; scholars were trapped in the imperial examination system, with few independent thoughts. Unable to achieve political or military success, the literati focused more on refining their inner character and morality. In landscapes, calligraphy, and painting, they found solace; on the stage and in fiction, they portrayed their dreams. This was also an introverted empire. Along the long northern border, the ancient Great Wall, long abandoned, was put back into use, both preventing nomadic invasions and revealing the lack of martial spirit in the Zhu Dynasty. This book, richly illustrated and diverse in style, vividly recreates China's long and splendid history and civilization through over a thousand carefully selected historical stories. The book has a clear historical narrative, detailed factual details, concise and vivid language, and abundant illustrations, making it a refined and engaging historical reading material. The content covers politics, economy, military, foreign relations, art, thought, science, and social life, comprehensively reflecting the rise and fall of the Qing Dynasty.