This book tells the story of 296 years of Chinese history from 1616, when Nurhaci established the Later Jin Dynasty, to 1636, when Huang Taiji established the Qing Dynasty, to when the Qing emperor abdicated in 1912. During this period, rulers expanded territory and laid the foundation for modern China. There are both the "prosperous age of Kangxi and Qianlong" in the early period, and the chaotic times of the later period, when extravagance and eunuchs were prevalent. After the Western powers used powerful ships and cannons to open the door of the empire in 1840, although there were reform movements such as the Westernization Movement and the Reform Movement of 1898, they all failed due to the obstruction of the die-hards. Chinese society has gradually fallen into the abyss of semi-feudal and semi-colonial society.
