History of the Southern Ming: 1644-1662

Author: (USA) Linda Siegel
Publisher:
Publication Date: Not available
Features: Mid-17th century Southern Ming was actually a collective term for four or five anti-Qing regimes. Without exception, they elevated a prince of the Ming Empire as their leader, yet there was no hereditary relationship between 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 was less than two decades, barely worthy of being called a moment in history. The history of Southern Ming clearly belongs to such a fleeting moment. In fact, as soon as the last Southern Ming regime faded into history, reflections on its history began. A significant number of 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 subject. By the late 18th century, when the Qianlong Emperor, for practical reasons,“” former Ming officials and generals who had contributed greatly to the Qing Dynasty's unification were degraded as "traitorous ministers," it inadvertently led to a de facto reopening of the study of Southern Ming history. By then, historical accounts of Southern Ming had already become fragmented and disorganized. When the topic of 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, the study of Southern Ming's eighteen years also had to begin with clarifying the 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 Southern Ming's eighteen years. Moreover, its literary style is brimming with talent and charm, making it a highly readable and engaging historical work.