Officialdom Unmasked (Illustrated Edition) (Volumes 1 and 2)

Author: Li Baojia (Qing Dynasty)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: June 1, 1957
Features: The Officialdom in Decline, written by Li Baojia (1867—1906), is one of the earliest and most representative works in the genre of "satirical fiction" during the late Qing Dynasty. This novel vividly exposes the corruption within the ruling institutions during the collapse of feudal society. Lu Xun remarked, "The narrative revolves around stories of flattery, scheming, obfuscation, greed, and infighting, as well as the passion of scholars for entering officialdom and the hidden affairs of officials' households. With its intricate plot and numerous characters, the story follows individuals from their rise to their fall, often abrupt and discontinuous, much like The Story of the Stone." The officials depicted in the book are utterly foolish, despicable, and morally corrupt, reaching the extreme. They oppress and exploit the people with extreme cruelty, but the author fails to provide a profound artistic summary of reality, and there is also an element of catering to the times and seeking popularity. Lu Xun also pointed out, "However, there are many speculative claims, making it difficult to call it a factual record. It lacks the essence of the preface's claim of 'subtly brewing and accumulating,' and it is far from the legacy of the late Mr. Wen Yiduo. Moreover, the material collected is merely 'premises,' pieced together to form an encyclopedia-like work. The tricks of officialdom are small in variation but largely the same; compiled into a lengthy narrative, it becomes monotonous in thousands of copies. Only because of the demands of the times, it gained fame as The Officialdom in Decline. And as a result, the term 'in decline' was adopted to describe other fields, such as commerce, academia, and the female world, with works following in quick succession."