The Ming Dynasty: Part Seven, The Grand Finale (2020 Edition)

The seventh volume of Ming Dynasty: Those Things explores the Ming dynasty’s final emperor, the Chongzhen Emperor. Was he an incompetent ruler, or a man who strove to turn things around? Opinions have long been divided. After nearly three centuries of unity, the Ming dynasty reached the end of its life, beset by internal turmoil, external threats, and unending strife. No matter how hard Chongzhen tried, he could not reverse the tide in the face of frequent natural disasters, the menacing cavalry beyond the passes, and the raging flames of peasant uprisings. As the dynasty weathered storm after storm and teetered on the brink of collapse, nothing could stop the sweeping changes of history! The Ming dynasty was an era that stirred the blood, an era of dazzling strangeness, an era both fierce and tender, an era that endured calamity yet rose to grandeur. Like a fold in Chinese history, every page holds a remarkable story, carrying cultural codes, political logic, and insights into human nature that belong to the Chinese people.