History of the Southern Ming: 1644-1662

Author: (American), translated by Li Rongqing et al., edited by Yan Shoucheng
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2007-01-01
Features: The Southern Ming in the mid-17th century was actually a collective term for four or five anti-Qing regimes. Without exception, they elevated a prince of the Ming Empire to serve as their leader, yet there was no succession among them. The lifespan of each regime was short—no more than one or two years—and the longest lasted only a dozen years. In total, it spanned less than two decades, barely worthy of being called a moment in history. The history of the Southern Ming clearly belongs to such fleeting moments. In fact, as soon as the last Southern Ming regime faded into history, reflections on its past began. Many scholars in Jiangnan during the early Qing Dynasty were deeply concerned with this. The emerging imperial authorities grew increasingly suspicious of such efforts, and in the later years of the Kangxi Emperor, renowned for his tolerance of dissent, a historical case that implicated hundreds of people effectively made the study of Southern Ming history a taboo. By the late 18th century, when the Qianlong Emperor, for practical reasons,“” (), he inadvertently lifted the ban on studying the Southern Ming, but by then, historical accounts of the Southern Ming had already become fragmented and disorganized. When the topic of the Southern Ming was revisited in historical research in the early 20th century, people found that, like studying all topics related to the Ming-Qing transition in the 17th century, research on the Southern Ming's eighteen years must begin with clarifying basic historical facts. This is a genuine work of Southern Ming history that proceeds from historical evidence. Whether in the international field of Sinology or domestic academia, this book remains fresh and inspiring in its discussion and organization of the Southern Ming's eighteen years. Adding to its literary flair and engaging style, it is truly a readable and enjoyable historical work.