Essays on the Western Expedition

Name: Essays on the Western Expedition
Author: Wang Jingqi

西征随笔

by Wang Jingqi (汪景祺)

Status: Completed
Source: Fanqie

Request a translation

Stats

7.8Score

38Chapters

Synopsis

"Essays on the Western Expedition" is a collection of notes written by the Qing Dynasty scholar Wang Jingqi during his westward journey in the second year of Yongzheng (1724). The book has a total of more than 35,000 words. It uses the author's journey from Hebei to Xi'an, Shaanxi Province as a clue, and interweaves the experiences, interactions with people, social scenes, historical events, etc. Along the way into a chapter. The content is extensive, the writing style is delicate, and it is both documentary and literary. The book contains a variety of literary styles such as letters, prefaces and postscripts, biographies, miscellaneous observations, and political commentary. There are profound exposures to the ecology of the officialdom and official corruption (such as "Qian Tongzheng Notes" and "Xi'an Official Governance"), as well as vivid descriptions of folk suffering and social customs (such as "The Biography of Buguang" and "The Story of Three Women from Hongshi Village"); There are commentaries on historical events (such as "The Death of Zhou Zhong and Xiang Yu" and "Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun"), as well as essays on poetry, customs, and anecdotes (such as "Preface to the Collection of Poems by Zhu Hanyuan Changwuzi" and "Women's Foot Binding"). With keen observation and critical spirit, the author recorded a large number of social realities in the early years of Yongzheng, especially the description of people's livelihood, military and official administration in the northwest region, which has important historical value. Wang Jingqi's writing style is straightforward, full of emotion, sometimes impassioned, sometimes humorous, showing the knowledge and sentiments of the Qing Dynasty scholars. Chapters such as "A Meritorious Officer Cannot Do" in the book attracted widespread attention in later generations because of their sharp discussions and pointed out the current ills. However, precisely because of the many criticisms and satires on current affairs in the article, the book was banned during the Yongzheng period, and the author Wang Jingqi was also convicted.

In booklists 27

Explore more →

Historical Fiction

Recommend historical novels

82MViews607Books2dUpdated

A Historical Article Not to Be Missed! ! !

What? Will you be a father after rebirth? A soft and tender little girl has to chase him and call her daddy? What? Qin Shihuang, who had lived for two hundred years, was chasing him to accept him as his apprentice and learn the art of immortality? From the super soldier king of Daxia to the Changyi King of Daxia!

36.8MViews370Books18hUpdated

Recommended Historical Books

I am a history class representative. Do you have any good books on historical literature and practical history?

25.9MViews452Books1dUpdated

Classic Literature, Works That Won Nobel Prizes and Grand Prizes

I am a quasi-junior high school student. I don't read cool articles or messy ones. I focus on the field of literature. I hope to improve my writing skills and hand over the good books in your hands!

9.5MViews561Books7dUpdated

Historical Fiction

6.8MViews175Books1dUpdated

My Five Favorite Historical Novels

6.6MViews351Books19hUpdated

The Book That Saved History and Geography

I want to read a book similar to "A Half-Hour Comic History of China (Five Volumes)". Similar to this

5.2MViews585Books2dUpdated

A Good Book That Can Improve Your Various Levels

I would like to read a book similar to "A Boy in Fresh Clothes and Angry Horses: Poems and Wine of Poets of the Tang and Song Dynasties". Read "Youth in Fresh Clothes and Angry Horses" to learn wisdom from the poetry and wine life of Tang and Song poets, learn to be open-minded, understand the pattern, and cultivate calmness, which will help you broaden your horizons and enrich your heart.

3.8MViews407Books3dUpdated

Masterpieces, History and Culture, World Masterpieces

3.7MViews658Books3dUpdated

Books to Increase Knowledge Reserves

2.4MViews971Books21hUpdated

Pure Learning Book

I want to read a book similar to "A History of China that is addictive upon first reading (the first collection of works by the popular historical author "Wenhu", a common choice of 572,079 readers)". Books for pure learning

2.2MViews648Books6dUpdated

Nice Historical Novel

2.1MViews438Books16hUpdated

Learning Books

I want to read a book similar to "Stumping You Without Negotiation: A Complete Collection of the Coldest and Unpopular Knowledge". There is no requirement for books. They can be liberal arts books, science books, computer science books, or books on a certain subject, including miscellaneous professional books.

1.7MViews667Books2dUpdated

I'm Looking for a Culturally Literate Story and a Novel That Takes Stock of History.

After watching a lot of short videos on Tomato, I learned about history and started writing novels. Many of them not only regard novels and TV series as official history, but even the contents of marketing accounts can be regarded as official history. Please ask for someone with a higher level of education, not some charming ancestors, and an objective view of the Yuan and Qing Dynasties.

1.7MViews159Books1dUpdated

Are There Any High School Study Materials?

1.5MViews465Books2dUpdated

Looking for Study Books?

I would like to read a book similar to "Python Game Development from Beginner to Master".

1.3MViews625Books4dUpdated

Looking for Books Suitable for Students in the Second and Third Grade of Junior High Schoolᶻz ₍^_ ̫ _^₎

Now that I'm in my second year of junior high school, I'll look for some academic or literature books, which cover all subjects, preferably ones that junior high school students can understand.

1.2MViews606Books1dUpdated

Ceiling-Level Historical Books

679.9kViews507Books19hUpdated

Study Books. (Available in All Subjects)

626.6kViews585Books16hUpdated

Books That Reflect Real History

I want to read a book similar to "A set of books to read through the Three Kingdoms (7 volumes in total)". I want to read history books that reflect real history without excessive artistic processing. Excessive distortion of facts not only makes reading meaningless, but also distorts values.

533.7kViews448Books1dUpdated