This is a masterpiece on the general history of China, starting from the creation of the world by Pangu, to the collapse of the Ming dynasty in the late Ming Dynasty, and going through thousands of years of ups and downs. The book has a total of 107 volumes and about 1.8 Million words. From the mythical era, the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, to the Zhou, Qin, Han, Tang, Song, Yuan, and to the late Ming Dynasty, it is organized according to the "gangmu style" and condenses the vast and complex historical events into a clear context.
The book not only records the changes of major emperors and the rise and fall of dynasties, but also shows the ups and downs of history through the fate of typical characters. For example, during the Spring and Autumn Period, Duke Huan and Guan Zhong of Qi reformed and strengthened Qi. They were strong for a while, but then declined due to difficulty in continuing their hegemony; Wu Zetian assisted and usurped the throne during the Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, but planted the seeds of turmoil at the peak of his power; another example is the peasant uprising of Li Zicheng and Emperor Chongzhen's suicide in the late Ming Dynasty. These characters are presented one by one in the book in outline style.
The editor Wu Chengquan pointed out in the preface: "The unwillingness to view history and the unclear discussion of history are not only due to slow talent and mediocre teachers misleading people, but also due to the incompetent guidance of the editors." He intends to make more people "easy to understand" history and use history as a guide. Because of this, this book was used as an enlightenment textbook and was used in many schools during the Republic of China.
In general, "Gangjian Yizhilu" combs through thousands of years of history in smooth and concise language. It not only retains the allusions and characters, but also makes reading history less difficult. It is a work suitable for the public to learn about ancient Chinese history.
