History of the Southern Ming (1644-1662)

Author: [USA]
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: The Southern Ming in the mid-17th century was actually a collective term for four or five anti-Qing regimes. Without exception, they elevated a prince of the Ming Empire to serve as their leader, yet there was no succession among them. The lifespan of each regime was short, lasting no more than one or two years, while the longest only spanned a decade. In total, it lasted less than twenty years, barely worthy of being called a moment in history. The history of the Southern Ming clearly belongs to such fleeting moments. In fact, as soon as the last Southern Ming regime faded into history, reflections on its history began. Many scholars in Jiangnan during the early Qing Dynasty were deeply concerned with this. The emerging imperial authorities grew increasingly suspicious of such efforts, and in the later years of the Kangxi Emperor, renowned for his tolerance of heterodoxy, a historical case that implicated hundreds of people effectively made the study of Southern Ming history a taboo. By the late 18th century, when the Qianlong Emperor, for practical reasons,“” (: to degrade) the former Ming officials and generals who had contributed significantly to the Qing Dynasty's unification, inadvertently lifted the ban on studying the Southern Ming, the historical accounts of the Southern Ming had already become fragmented and disorganized. When the topic of the Southern Ming was revived on the historical research agenda in the early 20th century, scholars discovered that, like all topics related to the Ming-Qing transition in the 17th century, studying the eighteen years of the Southern Ming also required a foundation of basic historical facts. This is a genuine work of Southern Ming history that proceeds from historical evidence. Whether in the international field of Sinology or domestic academia, this book remains fresh and inspiring in its discussion and organization of the eighteen years of the Southern Ming. Adding to its charm is a literary style brimming with talent and wit, making it a highly readable and engaging historical work.