Study On Wen Bing’s Historical Writings

Wen Bing(1609-1669)was an important historian in the Ming and Qing Dynasties,born into a prestigious family in Suzhou,which passed down poetry and books,and enjoyed great fame and fortune.After the downfall of the country and the defeat of the family,he hidden in in mountains,with the long lamp and ancient books,completed four history books,including " Ding ling Zhu Lve","Xian Bo Zhi Shi","Lie Huang Xiao shi" and "Jia Yi Shi An".Those books start from Wanli and ending in Hongguang,with sufficient historical facts and diverse genres,which is a precious document for studying the historiography of the Ming Dynasty,and is beneficial to peeping into the style of private historical cultivation in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties.Wen Bing is a typical descendant of a prestigious family,and his grandparents have been officials for generations.Under the influence of a strong atmosphere of family learning,Wen Bing has seen and learned a wide range of knowledge,providing convenient conditions for him to grasp the hard work and historical materials of the previous dynasty.The seclusion of his family and the noble personality of his father Wen Zhenmeng also deeply influenced Wen Bing’s behavior and feelings of writing history.Although Wen Bing’s writings are quite prolific,but not widely spread because of the Qing dynasty’s cultural control or wars.Most of Wen Bing’s books are manuscripts as far as the we can see,and the versions are more chaotic,and there are new versions that have not been discovered by scholars.Such as,"Qian Xing Ye Yu" is actually "Xian Bo Zhi Shi",and "Can Ming Tong Ji" is the first volume of "Jia Yi Shi An".The historical events and characters in Wen Bing’s works can be studied from four aspects: the struggle of the portal,the rebellion of the eunuchism,the crafty syphon and the late Ming Dynasty’s emperors.At the same time,through the analysis of the narrative vein and Wen Bing’s exposure of the late Ming Dynasty’s maladministration,we can examine the depth of Wen Bing’s historical knowledge and clarify the historian’s mentality and aspirations expressed in his historical writings.Wen Bing’s history of the late Ming Dynasty attaches great importance to the collection of historical materials.He searched extensively and quoted extensively,and made a preliminary research on its main historical sources,including the mansion newspaper,private writings,imperial edicts and treasured family documents.The extensive collection of documents not only provides a solid historical basis for Wen Bing’s historical writings,but also makes an important contribution to the late Ming Dynasty historical materials.As far as his works are concerned,Wen Bing’s compilation of historical books is not limited to tradition,flexible in writing,vivid in description,and at the same time supplementing historical facts,explaining historical views,and expressing feelings in a combination of narrative and discussion,showing a profound historical foundation and sophisticated historical insight.In dealing with historical facts,Wen Bing recorded the facts directly,spoke impartially and freely,and maintained the spirit of spreading the history of faith.Wen Bing has inherited his family’s learning and imitated " Chun-Qiu Writing Method".He used praise and criticism in the narration,making the chaotic thief clear in the annals of history and showing his intention of writing.As a member of the late Ming Dynasty and the early Qing Dynasty,Wen Bing is rich in thought and has the characteristics of the times.In the book,Wen Bing praised the martyrs and bootlicker festival,promoting the concept of loyalty,filial piety and justice.Like his contemporaries,Wen Bing endured the blows of the dead country,and his narrative revealed a deep attachment to the motherland,while reflecting on the lessons of the Ming Dynasty for future generations.Wen Bing also has a belief in the mandate of heaven’s historical view,will be abnormal than attached to the political personnel,the record of karma.In addition,Wen Bing’s writings have extensive information and high documentary value.Compared with official history and relevant documents,Wen Bing’s writings not only supplement and correct official history,but also provide evidence for historians to choose from,while preserving a large amount of precious historical materials,which has a significant impact on future historiography.