A Brief Interpretation of the History of the Qing Dynasty (Volumes 1 and 2)

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