Process of Compilation

In 1621 (the first year of Emperor Tianqi's reign), Tan Qian, at the age of twenty-nine, was mourning his mother when he read Chen Jian's Huang Ming Zi Zhi Tong Ji. He found numerous errors. Given that official historians monopolized the records of each Ming emperor and many parts were biased or inaccurate, and that various chronological histories were often shallow and fraudulent, Tan Qian decided to use the Ming Shilu as a foundation, extensively examining various sources and collecting a wide range of materials to ensure accuracy. In 1621, he began compiling Guo Que, "eliminating errors from fifteen dynastic records and correcting them; seeking news from the official gazettes of the seventeen years of Emperor Chongzhen's reign to supplement missing information." The initial draft was completed after six years, reportedly having gone through six revisions and compiled into a hundred volumes. In 1647 (the fourth year of Shunzhi's reign), the entire manuscript was stolen. Tan Qian lamented, "My hands are still here; how can I just give up?" He then resolved to rewrite it. In 1653, he was invited by Hongwen Institute editor Zhu Zhi Xi to bring his manuscript to Beijing. There, he visited former officials, members of the royal family, eunuchs, and defectors, read official archives, and re-edited Guo Que. "In terms of content, style, and method, I carefully weighed each sentence and word, generally preferring clarity over complexity, completeness over redundancy, and precision over excess." In Shanxi's Pingyang, Tan Qian proofread 12 pages daily. Over more than thirty years, he completed the book Guo Que, signing it as "Jiang Zuo Yi Min."

Content Structure

This book narrates the history from 1328 (the first year of the reign of Emperor Wenzong of Yuan) to 1645 when the Qing troops captured Nanjing, a span of 317 years. The Ming Shilu omitted the Jianwen era, but Guo Que restored it. Like other official histories in Chinese history, Guo Que< includes "Tan Qian said," with commentary interspersed within the narrative, either citing others or adding his own views. For example, when discussing whether Emperor Chengzu of Ming was born to Empress Ma, Tan Qian referenced Tai Chang Temple Records to prove that Emperor Chengzu was actually the son of Consort Duan. In 1421 (the nineteenth year of Yongle), it is noted: "The Eastern Factory was established, with eunuchs in charge of secret investigations." The annotation states: "This event is not recorded in official histories," and Tan Qian supplemented this information from The Imperial Code. In 1642 (the fifteenth year of Chongzhen), on November Dingchou, the entry reads: "Reports stated that 60,000 Jurchen troops attacked Ningyuan and advanced to Jinglingkou; another 60,000 attacked Shanhaiguan and advanced to Qingshan Pass; and another 50,000 advanced to Jizhou." Tan Qian believed these numbers were exaggerated, stating that in reality, only 20,000 cavalry entered Qiangzililing. Additionally, in the fourth year of Hongzhi (1487), June Guihai: "Former Prince's Grand Tutor and Minister of War Zhang Peng died. He was from Lianshui County and passed the imperial examination in 1455." This entry corrects an error in Ming Xianzong Shilu, which incorrectly stated that Zhang Peng was from Laishui County.

Guo Que is said to have originally been a hundred volumes, with more detailed accounts of recent events and less of distant ones. The history after Wanli occupies one-third of the book, while the reigns of Tianqi and Chongzhen account for one-sixth. Since there was no Shilu for the Chongzhen era, Tan Qian relied on official gazettes, local histories, and oral accounts from survivors. Due to its critical stance towards the Qing court and detailed records of Jurchen events, it could not be widely disseminated at the time. After Tan Qian's death, only handwritten copies existed. Later, Zhang Zongxiang compared three different versions—the Jiang family's Yanfen Cao Tang manuscript, the Four Brightnesses Lu Clan's Ba Jing Lou manuscript, and a ten-volume Chongzhen era manuscript—added punctuation, divided it into 104 volumes with an additional four preface volumes, totaling 108 volumes. It was published by the Zhonghua Book Company in 1958.

Evaluation

• Huang Zongxi praised Guo Que: "It is compiled based on facts, without seeking literary embellishment."

• Shao Tingcai said: "While many miscellaneous histories of the late Ming exist, they often lack thoroughness and proper structure, merely recording occasional observations. Only Tan Qian's chronological history and Zhang Dai's biographies have a complete narrative framework, which Gu Yingtai combined to create Jishi."

• Zhu Yizun said: "By thoroughly examining the records and teachings of each dynasty and consulting various scholarly works, it is especially detailed after Wanli, known as Guo Que."

• Wu Han evaluated Guo Que: "Since it was never published at the time, it also avoided being altered by the Siku Quanshu scholars. ... It has made significant contributions to studying Jurchen and late Ming history."

Shortcomings

Guo Que has inconsistencies in its narrative, sometimes mixing up events or adding unnecessary details, and excessively records natural disasters and auspicious signs. For example, in 1409 (the seventh year of Yongle): "The Eastern Factory was established to conduct secret investigations, with eunuchs in charge." However, in 1420 (the eighteenth year of Yongle), it states: "The Eastern Factory was first established, specifically for eunuch secret investigations." This clearly contradicts the earlier entry. The later date should be considered correct.

References

• 國榷 (Chinese)