A Historical Romance of the Late Qing and Early Republic (Five-Book Set)

This book is the author's life's work, created with painstaking effort. A rare historical novel that retells modern history through stories, it presents political anecdotes from the late Qing through the warlord era of the early Republic from the perspective of social customs, while expressing the author's own view of history. The very first chapter states its purpose: "This is not a novel written merely to entertain people," but one that carries "a message of admonition and moral instruction." This moral critique condemns how "the rites and principles, sense of shame, and morality of the past have all vanished without a trace." At the same time, it deeply analyzes the corruption of late Qing politics and offers a historical reckoning with the lessons of the dynasty's downfall. Though The Historical Romance of the Late Qing and Early Republic is unofficial history, its events are grounded in evidence and its people are named, allowing it to fill gaps left by official histories and giving it considerable historical value.