Ming Dynasty Chronicles

Author: Cai Dongfan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-27
Features: Throughout Chinese history, the imperial line has always been Han Chinese. Although there were invasions by ethnic minorities into the Central Plains, they rose and fell on their own. The Xiongnu, Khitan, and Jurchen cavalry were once powerful, but they could never unify China. The Mongols originated from the Shiwei tribal group during the Tang Dynasty, living in northern China and hunting for a living, eventually forming their own tribes. Initially, they were under the rule of the Jin Dynasty, but with the birth of Genghis Khan, they unified the Mongol tribes and grew in power. The Mongol cavalry then launched westward campaigns into Europe and soon turned south to conquer the Jin Dynasty and invade the Song Dynasty. With the fall of the Southern Song, the vast Central Plains were eventually controlled by the Mongol Khans, and in a single reign, they became the emperors of China for eighty-nine years—this was truly a groundbreaking event in history! However, the Mongols were ruthless and harsh to the people, exhausting the nation, which led to numerous uprisings. Among them, Zhu Yuanzhang emerged and took away the Yuan Dynasty’s rule. Some say it was destiny, while others say it was human effort. I, too, am baffled, so I can only discuss history as it happened and present the rise and fall of the Mongols in a work titled Romance of the Yuan Dynasty. This book is part of the Popular Histories of China series. It is structured in traditional Chinese chapter form, written in accessible language with witty commentary, and truly depicts the grand and tumultuous process of Chinese civilization’s historical evolution. It narrates the rise and fall of the Yuan Dynasty, from Genghis Khan (Temüjin) unifying the Mongol tribes to Kublai Khan establishing the Yuan Dynasty as the state’s name, and finally to Zhu Yuanzhang founding the Ming Dynasty. The writing is fluent, and the stories are vivid.