The Emperor's Secret (Psychological Biographies of Seven Chinese Emperors)

Author: Zhao Liang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: Using psychoanalytic theory and the methods of psychohistory, this is a powerful work in the genre of psychological biographies of emperors in China. Promoted vigorously by CCTV-10's "." This book is indeed a lyrical prose-style psychological biography. The term "lyrical" indicates that whether I am discussing someone or something, what I express are my personal views. I have always held the belief that a unique person, even when drafting a document, has a distinct flavor in their words; conversely, a victim of mass social taste, no matter what genre they choose, will not express anything personal. Their feelings are universal, and their ideas are popular, so in my view, their works do not qualify as lyrical prose. I have always aspired to be an author of lyrical prose and use this as a measure of my achievements. This book is an attempt at lyrical prose writing. The writing of this book draws on certain methods of psychohistory. Psychohistory is a historiographical school that emerged in the 1960s in the West, aiming to apply various psychological theories, particularly Freudian psychoanalytic theory and methods, to explain historical processes, phenomena, and the actions of historical figures. In the 1970s, psychohistorical research reached its peak, with a large number of works being published, among which the most notable were biographical studies of historical figures, such as Erikson's work on Luther and Gandhi, Frank Manuel's on Newton, Doris Kearns Goodwin's on Johnson, Peter Loewenberg's on Heinrich Himmler, Otto Friedrich's on Bismarck, and analyses of Hitler by many others. Some also studied contemporary significant figures like Mao Zedong, Richard Nixon, and Henry Kissinger. This book conducts a scholarly psychoanalysis of the psychological worlds of seven Chinese emperors—Qin Shi Huang, Liu Bang, Wu Zetian, Li Yu, Zhu Yuanzhang, Guangxu, and Puyi. It projects certain conceptual assumptions from psychology onto specific subjects, establishes their personality types, reveals the hidden causes of their psychological disorders, and analyzes the "id" of the seven emperors. —"Southern Weekly · Smelling the Fragrance of Books"
This is a lyrical prose-style psychological biography of historical figures. The author conducts a well-measured psychological analysis of seven representative emperors in Chinese history, delving into the depths and uncovering hidden truths, not stopping at the surface of historical events but extending into the social psychology behind the figures. It profoundlys the hidden causes of their psychological disorders and ingeniously solves various mysteries in Chinese history. It creatively breaks the conventional writing style of biographies of historical figures, permeating the entire work with a captivating charm. The Hidden Secrets of Emperors is another major breakthrough in historical-themed writing, following the works of Liu Erhe and Huang Renyu.