Veritable Records of the Qing Emperor Wenzong Xian: Xianfeng

The Veritable Records of Emperor Xian of Qing, also known as the Veritable Records of the Qing Wenzong Emperor, is an official chronological history compiled during the Qing dynasty. It records the policies, words and deeds, and major historical events of the Xianfeng Emperor (Aisin Gioro Yizhu) during his reign from 1850 to 1861, and is a key source for studying the politics, military affairs, and society of the late Qing. In October 1861, the eleventh year of the Xianfeng reign, Grand Secretaries Jia Zhen, Zhou Zupei, and others began compiling it by imperial order. The work was completed in 1866, the fifth year of the Tongzhi reign. It comprises 356 volumes, covering the period from the Xianfeng Emperor's accession in the first month of 1850, the thirtieth year of the Daoguang reign, to the emperor's death in the seventh month of 1861, the eleventh year of the Xianfeng reign. It therefore spans his entire rule. Written in chronological form, it gives detailed accounts of important affairs of state during the Xianfeng reign, particularly the Taiping Rebellion, the Second Opium War, and the Nian Rebellion. Its records preserve a wealth of original documents and are indispensable firsthand sources for studying Chinese history in the mid-nineteenth century.