Guangling Tongdian, Yangzhou Shiji, Xiantong Guangling Shigao

Author: Wang Zhong et al. (Qing Dynasty)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: November 1, 2004
Features: Guangling Tongdian is a renowned work documenting the local history of Yangzhou. The author, Wang Zhong (1745–1794), was a distinguished scholar proficient in classical studies, textual criticism, history, and epigraphy, as well as a literary master skilled in parallel prose, prose, and poetry. Guangling Tongdian, comprising 10 volumes, covers events from the construction of the Han Canal by King Fuchai of Wu during the Spring and Autumn Period to the events of the first year of the Qianning era (894) of Emperor Zhaozong of Tang, when Yang Xingmi took control of Yangzhou. According to Wang Zhong's original plan, the book was to end with the period of the Ming-Qing transition when Shi Kefa defended Yangzhou. However, he only completed it up to the late Tang Dynasty before passing away due to illness. In the third year of the Daoguang era (1823), his son Xijun published this unfinished manuscript.
The Ten Days of Yangzhou is a work documenting the brutal massacre carried out by Qing troops after they captured Yangzhou. The author, Wang Xiuchu, remains unknown. In April 1645 of the second year of the Shunzhi era, Qing troops besieged Yangzhou, and Shi Kefa, the Minister of War of the Southern Ming regime, led the Yangzhou people in heroic resistance. On the 25th, after breaking through the city walls, the Qing forces unleashed a bloody massacre, staging a horrific scene of urban carnage. The author of this book was a survivor of the massacre and recorded the events in a factual manner, making it deeply moving. Though the entire text is only about 7,000 characters long, it combines historical and literary value and once had a significant political impact, making it an extraordinary work.
The Draft History of Yangzhou During the Xian and Tong Eras holds high historical value. To date, there are mainly three diaries and notes by landlord scholars documenting the activities of the Taiping Army in Yangzhou: Small Records of the Aftermath by Zang Gu, Records of Defending Yangzhou Against the Bandits by Ni Zai Tian, and The Draft History of Yangzhou During the Xian and Tong Eras. Small Records of the Aftermath is a brief recollection by Zang Gu after the Taiping Movement failed; Records of Defending Yangzhou Against the Bandits was written by Ni Zai Tian much later, referencing official gazettes, Strategies to Suppress the Cantonese Bandits, and collected anecdotes. In contrast, The Draft History of Yangzhou During the Xian and Tong Eras is described by Luo Ergang as "the record of those who witnessed and heard it firsthand," making its historical value far greater than that of the other two works. From The Draft History of Yangzhou During the Xian and Tong Eras, we can see that the author, Fang Shi, as a feudal scholar outside the government, was deeply dissatisfied with the incompetence of high-ranking officials and local officials in blocking and suppressing the Taiping Army in Yangzhou. The book vividly exposes their self-preservation, intrigue, greed, and incompetence, while also providing a detailed and objective description of the Taiping Army's activities in Yangzhou, allowing modern readers to uncover valuable historical truths.