Ming and Qing Imperial Palace Huangpu Secret Files Illustrated Guide (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: First Historical Archives of China, compiled by Huangpu District People's Government of Guangzhou
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-07-01
Features: Huangpu was an important port on the ancient Chinese Maritime Silk Road. It served as the gateway for China to the world and a window through which the world viewed China. As a thousand-year-old port, Huangpu has been a logistics center for maritime trade since the pre-Qin period, through the Tang and Song dynasties, to the Ming and Qing dynasties. Huangpu was a post station for exchanges between China and the outside world and a fertile ground where Eastern and Western civilizations collided and blended. A series of Western missionaries, such as Giuseppe Castiglione, Prospero Intorcetta, and Jean-Denis Attiret, arrived in China from here and entered the imperial palaces of the Great Qing Dynasty. Huangpu became a specially significant dock for the eastward spread of Western influences. During the turbulent years of modern China, Huangpu left a unique mark. The vicissitudes of the southern coastal harbor of Huangpu are recorded in a wealth of original documents in the imperial archives of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The First Historical Archives of China and the Huangpu District People's Government of Guangzhou jointly collaborated to systematically excavate the Huangpu archives preserved in the Ming and Qing imperial collections. From the vast imperial classics, more than two hundred precious archives related to Huangpu were selected, along with carefully chosen historical photographs, to compile this "Illustrated Guide to Secret Archives of Huangpu in the Ming and Qing Imperial Palaces." The original archives included in this book are all photographed from the actual items or printed from the original copies, including the personal imperial decrees of the "Emperor," all of which are rare treasures long kept in the imperial palace and never publicly displayed. They are the most authentic primary sources for studying and understanding Huangpu and modern Chinese history. The book features exquisite illustrations and luxurious binding, combining academic value, artistic value, and collectible value. It is available in a premium hardcover edition, accompanied by a high-end gift box and an elegant handbag.