using the chronological narrative style.
Historical Development
In 1656 (the 13th year of Shunzhi), Gu Ying Tai served as the educational commissioner in Zhejiang, where he compiled this book. This work was completed before the officially revised "Draft History of Ming" and "History of Ming", making it a private scholarly endeavor. It extensively references works such as Zhang Dai's "Shikui Shu", Tan Qian's "Guo Que", Gao Dai's "Hongyou Lu", Fan Jingwen's "Zhao Dai Gong Wu Bian", and Jiang Fen's "Ming History Annals". He also recruited scholars like Zhang Dai, Xu Zhuo, and Zhang Zitan to assist in the compilation. By the winter of 1658 (the 15th year of Shunzhi, the book was completed and presented with a preface by University Scholar Fu Yili from the National History Academy. In 1660, however, he faced an impeachment by Imperial Censor Dong Wenji. Emperor Shizhu (Shunzhi) summoned Dong to Nanyuan and ordered a review of the original book. Afterward, only two cups of leftover tea were given to Dong as a token of encouragement, while Gu was not questioned. However, after Kangxi ascended the throne, he criticized Dong for creating trouble over nothing, and the matter involving the impeachment of Gu ultimately went unresolved.
Before ascending the throne, Emperor Qianlong had read "The Annals of Ming History inChronological Order" and praised its writing. However, by 1786 (the 51st year of Qianlong), after reading a copy submitted during the compilation of "Siku Quanshu", he was dissatisfied with the description of the Battle of Shanhaiguan. He believed that Gu had exaggerated the role and contributions of Wu Sangui and issued an edict to the Grand Council, ordering them to "revise this section of the book to ensure it adheres to proper historiography."
The book covers events from 1352 (the 12th year of Yuan Zhizheng) when Zhu Yuanzhang began his uprising, up to 1644 (the 17th year of the Ming Dynasty's Chongzhen Emperor) when Li Zicheng entered Beijing. It selects eighty historical events or topics, arranged in chronological order, and narrates their entire course. Each chapter can range from several thousand to tens of thousands of words. The book includes the author's "Gu Ying Tai said" commentary, written in a parallel prose style. It focuses on political history while being less detailed about economic, cultural, and institutional aspects. The book documents uprisings such as those led by Tang Sanye in Shandong, the Yuyang Uprising, and the miners' uprising in Zhejiang and Fujian. However, it often draws from unofficial records, leading to numerous errors and omissions, even contradictory accounts. For example, in "Jiangling's Governance," Zhang Juzheng is praised for his achievements: "strengthening imperial virtue, curbing favoritism, enforcing strict assessments, verifying titles and realities, clearing postal services, and surveying land," while the commentary describes him as a "dangerous, harsh, and ungrateful person." Despite these issues, because it was compiled early and integrates various Ming dynasty sources, the "Siku Quanshu Zongmu Tiyao" states: "The arrangement is well-balanced, the content is orderly, and it provides a comprehensive account of the era." It remains an indispensable historical source for Ming dynasty research. Later works such as Peng Sunyi's five-volume "Supplementary Annals of Ming History in Chronological order" and Ni Zaitian's "Continued Annals of the Ming Dynasty" complement this original work.
Annotations
External Links
References
• 明史紀事本末 (Chinese)
The text above incorporates content created automatically using artifical intelligence.
The Gu Ying Tai (1620-1690) of the Qing dynasty wrote "The Annals of Ming History in Chronological Order", a book that records the history of the Ming Dynasty using the chronological narrative style.