Records of the Qing Emperor Xuantong: Xuantong

The Xuantong Political Chronicle is the final privately compiled annalistic history in the Records of the Qing Dynasty tradition. It documents events during the reign of Puyi, the last emperor of the Qing. Since the Qing dynasty had fallen and the term “Veritable Records” was no longer used, the work was renamed “Political Chronicle,” though its compilation format is identical to that of the Veritable Records. Two versions exist, one in 43 volumes and the other in 70. The work was compiled by the team that had originally worked on the Veritable Records of Emperor Dezong Jing. Following the annalistic format, it draws on palace archives such as imperial edicts and memorials to the throne. The main version, comprising 70 volumes, covers key government decisions on politics, the economy, and frontier administration during the Xuantong reign [6]. Its contents continue the Records of the Qing Dynasty’s systematic account of court institutions and historical traditions. After the fall of the Qing, the Xuantong Political Chronicle was privately compiled by the former imperial house. Its manuscript was completed in the third year of the Republic of China (1914) and was never deposited in the Imperial Historical Archives. After compilation, it was kept in Puyi’s personal custody. During the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo, Liaohai Publishing House recompiled it and used it to construct the regime’s claim to legitimacy. Puyi later handed it over, and it is now held by the Liaoning Provincial Archives.