Draft History of Qing
Encyclopedia
The Draft History of Qing (Chinese
: 清史稿, pinyin
: Qingshigao) is a draft of the official history of the Chinese Qing Dynasty
compiled and written under Zhao Erxun
by a team of more than 100 historians hired by the Republic of China
's Beiyang government
. The draft was published in 1928, but the final copy was never completed because the Chinese Civil War
caused a lack of funding for the project.
government in 1930.
The draft was later criticized for being biased and against the Republican government's Xinhai Revolution
. Notably, it does not have records of historical figures in the revolution, even those that had been born before the end of the Qing Dynasty, although it includes biographies of various others who were born after the collapse of the Qing Dynasty.
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
: 清史稿, pinyin
Pinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
: Qingshigao) is a draft of the official history of the Chinese Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
compiled and written under Zhao Erxun
Zhao Erxun
Zhao Erxun was the brother of Zhao Erfeng. He was the governor of Hubei and Sichuan and viceroy and governor of Fengtian....
by a team of more than 100 historians hired by the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
's Beiyang government
Beiyang Government
The Beiyang government or warlord government collectively refers to a series of military regimes that ruled from Beijing from 1912 to 1928 at Zhongnanhai. It was internationally recognized as the legitimate Government of the Republic of China. The name comes from the Beiyang Army which dominated...
. The draft was published in 1928, but the final copy was never completed because the Chinese Civil War
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...
caused a lack of funding for the project.
History
The Qing court had long established a Bureau of State Historiography and precompiled its own dynastic history. The massive book was started in 1914, and the rough copy was finished in about 1927. 1,100 copies of the Books were published. The Republic Government moved 400 of the original Draft into the northern provinces, where it re-edited the content twice, thus creating three different copies of the book. It was banned by the NationalistKuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
government in 1930.
Contents
The draft attempts to follow the format of previous official histories, containing four sections:- 纪 (Ji), containing information about relevant emperors
- 志 (Zhi), containing events that happened, i.e. astronomical events
- 表 (Biao), containing lists of people who held important posts or were royalty
- 传 (Zhuan), containing information concerning notable figures.
Shortcomings
Because of the lack of funding, the authors were forced to publish quickly, and consequently this project was never finished, remaining in the draft stages. The authors openly acknowledged this, and admitted there may have been factual or superficial errors.The draft was later criticized for being biased and against the Republican government's Xinhai Revolution
Xinhai Revolution
The Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, also known as Revolution of 1911 or the Chinese Revolution, was a revolution that overthrew China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing , and established the Republic of China...
. Notably, it does not have records of historical figures in the revolution, even those that had been born before the end of the Qing Dynasty, although it includes biographies of various others who were born after the collapse of the Qing Dynasty.