A Grand View of Unofficial History of the Qing Dynasty (Five Volumes)

This is a compilation of historical materials that collects all the official and unofficial histories of the Qing Dynasty. It is divided into five parts: "Historical Records of the Qing Dynasty", "Historical Materials of the Qing Dynasty", "Anecdotes of Qing Dynasty People", "Art Garden of the Qing Dynasty" and "Stories of the Qing Dynasty". Its content is compiled from hundreds of Qing Dynasty notebooks and novels, covering many secrets from the early Qing Dynasty to the late Qing Dynasty, including secret histories of the palace, officialdom insiders, imperial examination scandals, celebrity anecdotes, literary anecdotes, rivers and lakes legends, folk anecdotes and other aspects of social life, highlighting the "strange" and "interesting" characteristics of unofficial history. From emperors, concubines, princes and ministers, officials at all levels, celebrities from all walks of life, to masters, government servants, litigants, doctors, scholars, knight-errants, magicians, wealthy businessmen, traffickers and rogues, they are all included. Although it is not an official revision of history, the contents such as "The Empress Dowager Marries Down" and "Nine Sons Seize the Lethality" can make up for the shortcomings of history. As for the vivid description of the unspoken rules of the officialdom and even folk customs, it has both documentary reference and popular interest.