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The political reform in the late Qing Dynasty failed and the Qing Dynasty collapsed rapidly. Analyzing it, there are many reasons. One of the most fundamental reasons is that the fiscal system is corrupt and official corruption is common. This book starts from the personal life circle of officials and businessmen, analyzes the various relationships between politics and business in the late Qing Dynasty, and describes several life scenes of the politics and business circles in the late Qing Dynasty through vivid and interesting stories. The trading of power and money, the collusion between officials and businessmen, and all the various aspects of society in the late Qing Dynasty are all in it. What is commendable is that while telling historical events, the author widely collects a variety of notes, unofficial histories, chronicles, local chronicles, biographies and anecdotes, perfectly combining grand narratives with personal narratives, just like the folk custom paintings of late Qing society, making boring history come alive.

This book carefully combs out some anecdotes and biographies about the political and business figures of the late Qing Dynasty from the vast history of the Qing Dynasty. It is a collection of short stories structured in the form of a notebook novel. It covers a wide range of topics, including plants, trees, insects, fish, customs, love legends, jokes, anecdotes, etc. Writers write notes with a historian's attitude, often flaunting the accuracy of their notes, with a strong flavor of folk literature.