The Emperor's Secret: A Psychological Biography of Seven Chinese Emperors

Author: Zhao Liang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: This is a groundbreaking work in the field of psychological biographies of emperors in China, crafted with psychoanalytic theory and the methods of psychohistory. Promoted vigorously by CCTV-10's "" (One Hundred Lectures Forum). This book is, in fact, a lyrical prose-style psychological biography. The term "lyrical" indicates that whether I am discussing someone or something, I am expressing personal perspectives. I have always held the belief that a unique individual, even when drafting a document, imbues it with a distinctive charm; conversely, a victim of mainstream social tastes, no matter what genre they choose, will never express anything personal. Their emotions are universal, and their ideas are popular, so in my view, their works do not qualify as lyrical prose. I have aspired to be an author of lyrical prose and measure my achievements by this standard. This book is an attempt at lyrical prose writing on my part. 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 zenith, with numerous works 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 Freundlich'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 psychoanalytic exploration 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. —From 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, not satisfied with the surface of historical events, extending its reach beyond the social psychology of the figures, and profoundlying the hidden causes of their psychological disorders. It ingeniously solves many mysteries of Chinese history and creatively breaks the conventional writing style of historical biographies, permeating the entire work with an enchanting aura. The Emperor's Hidden Secrets is a major breakthrough in historical-themed writing, following the works of Liu Erhe and Huang Renyu.