A Historical Interpretation of the Qing Dynasty - (Vol. 1 & 2)

Author: (Chief Editor of this volume Zhang Xinke, Du Wenyu, Bai Yulin)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2007-01-01
Features: The Qing History Draft is the last volume of the Twenty-Five Histories and an important historical work documenting the history of the Qing Dynasty. In the early years of the Republic of China, the Qing History Commission was established to compile the Qing history, with Zhao Erxun appointed as its director and chief editor. The book is named Draft of the Qing History because it was an unfinished manuscript compiled in haste. The Qing History Draft follows the biographical style, consisting of four parts: Annals, Treatises, Tables, and Biographies, totaling 536 volumes. Among these, there are 25 volumes of Annals, 135 volumes of Treatises, 53 volumes of Tables, and 316 volumes of Biographies. In terms of length, it ranks second only to The History of Song among the official histories of past dynasties. The chronicles cover events from 1616, when Nurhaci proclaimed himself emperor, to 1911, the year of the Qing Dynasty's collapse. Some of the biographies also involve events after the 1911 Revolution, such as Zhang Xueliang's dismissal, Puyi's escape to Tianjin, and the suicide of Tian Guowei in Kunming Lake. The compilation of The Qing History Draft began in 1914 and was largely completed by 1927.