The Last Emperor of the Southern Ming

Told in the first person from the perspective of the Yongli Emperor, Zhu Youlang, this book unfolds the full story of the Southern Ming’s eighteen tumultuous years.

From the chaos that engulfed the realm after the Chongzhen Emperor hanged himself in 1644, to the final moment of the Yongli Emperor’s death in 1662. The story centers on the succession of the three major regimes of Hongguang, Longwu, and Yongli, while also covering the rise and fall of the Prince of Lu’s regency, the Shaowu regime, and other competing powers, recreating on a sweeping scale the wars and conflicts of the transition from the Ming to the Qing.

Grounded in historical fact, it closely examines the fierce factional struggles and power clashes between the Southern Ming court and the local authorities, showing that endless internal strife was the fundamental reason for the regime’s rapid collapse.