History of Chinese Historiography. Volume 5: The Ming and Qing Periods (Before 1840) The Evolution of Ancient Chinese Historiography

Author: Xiang Yannan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-12-01
Features: This volume discusses the history of historiography during the Ming and Qing dynasties, with the timeframe extending from the establishment of the Ming Dynasty by Zhu Yuanzhang in Nanjing (Yingtian, now Jiangsu Province) in 1368 to the outbreak of the First Opium War between China and Britain in 1840. This marks the fifth period of the development of Chinese historiography and also the era when ancient Chinese historiography gradually underwent transformation. Historically, the Opium War of 1840 is generally regarded as the symbol of China's gradual transition into a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. However, from the perspective of the actual development of historiography, some old academic characteristics continued to persist after this date. For the convenience of writing, some content in this volume inevitably touches upon the period after 1840. The Ming and Qing dynasties were both the declining period of feudal society in China and the era when significant changes began to emerge in Chinese feudal society. These fundamental characteristics of social development profoundly influenced the political, economic, and cultural life of the time, while also exerting a profound impact on the development of historiography during this period. It was precisely during this time that the view "all the Six Classics are history" was more clearly articulated and gradually accepted by scholars. This book primarily discusses the development of Chinese historiography during the Ming and Qing dynasties (before 1840), examining and summarizing it from aspects such as fundamental historical works, historiographical theory, and historical philology.