History of Ming facts for kids

The History of Ming is a very important book about China's past. It's the last official history in a collection called the Twenty-Four Histories. This huge book has 332 parts, called volumes. It tells the story of the Ming dynasty, which ruled China from 1368 to 1644.

Many officials from the Qing dynasty worked together to write it. Zhang Tingyu was the main person in charge. They started writing during the time of the Shunzhi Emperor. The book was finally finished in 1739, when the Qianlong Emperor was ruling. But most of the writing happened when the Kangxi Emperor was in power.

A history expert named Endymion Wilkinson said that the History of Ming is one of the best and easiest to read of all the Twenty-Four Histories. It's also the second longest!

Why Was the History of Ming Written?

After the Qing dynasty took control of Beijing and northern China, they wanted to write down the history of the Ming dynasty. This happened in 1645. It was the second year of the Shunzhi Emperor's rule.

The Qing court set up a special group to work on the book. They chose important leaders like Feng Quan to guide the project. They also hired many writers and people to copy the text. Some copied in Manchu, and others in Chinese.

The Qing rulers were careful about what they included. They didn't want to show that the Jurchens (who were Manchus, the Qing's ancestors) had ever been under the Ming dynasty's rule. Because of this, they didn't use some old records, like the Ming Veritable Records, for parts about the Jurchens.

How the History Book Was Made

Writing the History of Ming was a very long process. It took many years and happened in different stages.

Starting the Project (Stage 1)

The official writing began on May 2, 1645. This was when the Qing dynasty was still new to ruling all of China. The Qing wanted to show that the Ming dynasty was completely over. They also wanted to ignore other Ming groups that were still fighting them.

Soon after, the Qing army captured Nanjing. This ended one of the Ming groups. But other groups, like the one led by Zhu Yujian, kept fighting. Even a rebel leader named Li Zicheng joined forces with some Ming officials against the Qing.

Because of all this fighting, it was hard for the Qing to focus on writing history. They didn't have enough people to work on the book. This difficult time lasted until the 22nd year of the Kangxi Emperor's rule. By then, the Kangxi Emperor had united all of mainland China and Taiwan. So, in this first stage, not much progress was made on the book.

Finishing the Book (Stage 2)

After a big rebellion called the Revolt of the Three Feudatories was stopped, the Qing dynasty could finally put more effort into the History of Ming. Thirty-five years had passed since they first announced the project!

In the 17th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, they started bringing in smart scholars from all over the country. This is when the second stage of writing really got going.

The History of Ming was finally completed in 1739. This was in the 4th year of the Qianlong Emperor's rule. It was the third time the Qing court had organized people to check and fix the book's drafts. This final check made sure the book was ready.

One of the main sources for the History of Ming was the Ming Veritable Records. These were daily notes kept during each emperor's rule. They were put together into a book shortly after each emperor died.

What's Inside the History of Ming?

The History of Ming is organized much like other official Chinese history books. It has four main parts:

• Annals (本紀) – These are volumes 1 to 24. They tell the story of each emperor's reign in order.
• Treatises (志) – These are volumes 25 to 99. They cover different topics like geography, economy, and government.
• Tables (表) – These are volumes 100 to 112. They contain charts and lists, often about officials or family trees.
• Biographies (列傳) – These are volumes 113 to 332. They tell the life stories of important people from the Ming dynasty.

Some parts of the Biographies (volumes 320–328) talk about foreign countries. Many of the names used in the book are very similar to modern place names. For example, it mentions:

• Korea (朝鮮) in volume 320
• Vietnam (Annam – 安南) in volume 321
• Japan (日本) in volume 322
• The island of Luzon (呂宋) in the Philippines in volume 323
• Borneo (婆羅) in volume 323
• Java (爪哇) in volume 324
• Malacca (滿刺加) in volume 325
• Sumatra (蘇門答喇) in volume 325
• Johor (柔佛) in Malaysia in volume 325

See also

• History of the Ming dynasty
• Ming Veritable Records