Chinese History 13--Ming History

Author: Fu Yiling (Editor-in-Chief), Yang Guozhen, Chen Zhiping (Authors)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-11-28
Features: The Ming Dynasty was the last dynasty established by the Han landlord class and also a significant turning point in the development of Chinese history. It spanned over 300 years from the mid-14th century to the mid-17th century. On one hand, it pushed autocratic centralized bureaucratic politics to a new height, with social and economic development surpassing the highest level of the Song and Yuan dynasties anding the impetus for the transition from old to new. On the other hand, as the Ming Dynasty declined from its peak, signs of collapse were evident in all aspects of social life, marking the late development stage of China's feudal society, which had endured for thousands of years. This book takes the evolution of political history as its main thread, aiming to combine the characteristics of social and economic history, while focusing on elaborating on social economy, military affairs, culture, folklore, and China's foreign relations, in order to reveal the patterns of social change and present the overall of the society at that time. The writing of this book has absorbed and integrated the achievements of Ming history research from both Chinese and foreign academia. The authors have strived to systematize their lifelong insights into Ming history and integrate them into a dynamic historical narrative.