Author: Ray Huang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: The Fifteenth Year of the Wanli Reign is a classic work of great significance to contemporary Chinese people. Its importance lies in the fact that it offers a revolutionary new way of narrating history for people of that time. Before this, historical writing by Chinese people was part of ideology and political propaganda. Almost all history books followed a single pattern, tone, and perspective, presenting only one kind of image. Ray Huang's book essentially opens up a whole new world for us. Every mainland Chinese reader who reads this book will be shocked to realize that history can be written this way, that history can be so interesting, complex, and rich, and that historical figures are not as monotonous and standardized as those taught in textbooks. In a sense, this book is like a dagger, tearing down the iron curtain of ideological control over historical writing. After the publication of The Fifteenth Year of the Wanli Reign, "the intellectual landscape of Chinese historical scholarship was completely transformed," and Chinese people's reading of history opened a new chapter. It is not an exaggeration to say that after The Fifteenth Year of the Wanli Reign, mainland China entered an era of historical writing and reading dominated by Ray Huang. The Fifteenth Year of the Wanli Reign: An Enlarged Anniversary Edition is a classic that changed the way Chinese people read history. The English edition was twice nominated for the American Book Awards, and the Chinese edition was selected as one of the "20 Most Influential Books in China Since the Reform and Opening Up" by New Weekly and Book City. A special enlarged anniversary edition is now launched, with corrected text: All text has been rechecked and revised.