Ming Shi-lu
Encyclopedia
The Ming Shilu or the Veritable Records of the Ming, contains the imperial annals of Ming dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...

 emperors (1368-1644) and is the single largest historical source for the dynasty and "plays an extremely important role in the historical reconstruction of Ming society and politics."
After the fall of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Shi-lu was used as the main source for the compilation of the History of Ming
History of Ming
The History of Ming is one of the official Chinese historical works known as the Twenty-Four Histories of China. It consists of 332 volumes and covers the history of Ming Dynasty from 1368 to 1644, which was written by a number of officials commissioned by the court of Qing Dynasty, with the lead...

(Ming Shi).

The section (shilu) for each emperor was composed after the emperor's death by a History Office appointed by the Grand Secretariat
Grand Secretariat
The Grand Secretariat was nominally a coordinating agency but de facto the highest institution in the Ming imperial government. It first took shape after Emperor Hongwu abolished the office of Chancellor in 1380 and gradually evolved into an effective coordinating organ superimposed on the Six...

 using different types of historical sources such as:

1. "The Qiju zhu (起居注 qǐjūzhù), or 'Diaries of Activity and Repose'. These were daily records
of the actions and words of the Emperor in court."

2. "The 'Daily Records' (日曆 rìlì). These records, established precisely as a source for the
compilation of the shilu, were compiled by a committee on the basis of the diaries and
other written sources."

3. Other sources such as materials collected from provincial centres and "culled from other official sources such as memorials, ministerial papers and the Metropolitan Gazette."

All Ming Shi-lu entries that refer to Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...

 including references to Tai
Tai peoples
The Tai ethnicity refers collectively to the ethnic groups of southern China and Southeast Asia, stretching from Hainan to eastern India and from southern Sichuan to Laos, Thailand, and parts of Vietnam, which speak languages in the Tai family and share similar traditions and festivals, including...

 and other ethnic groups in Yunnan
Yunnan
Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...

, which borders Southeast Asia, have been translated into English, indexed by date, place name, and personal name, and are available online at "Southeast Asia in the Ming Shi-lu: an open access resource".
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