Ming jingshi wenbian 明經世文編

Ming jingshi wenbian 明經世文編 "Collected writings about statecraft from the Ming dynasty", original title Huang-Ming jingshi wenbian 皇明經世文編, is a collection of political essays compiled during the late Ming period 明 (1368-1644) by Chen Zilong 陳子龍 (1608-1647), Xu Fuyuan 徐孚遠 (1599-1665), Song Zhengbi 宋徵璧 (jinshi degree 1642), and others, in total 24 persons. The book was finished in 1638. The compilers belong to a group of Ming loyalists who established the Jishe Society 幾社. Chen Zilong, who later committed suicide, compiled a handful of other books, among which are Shiwenlüe 詩問略, Baiyun caolu ju 白雲草廬居, and Xiangzhenge 湘真閣. Xu Fuyan served the Ming loyalist Zheng Chenggong 鄭成功 (1624-1662) in Taiwan, where he died. Song Zhengbi changed sides and became an official of the Qing dynasty 清 (1644-1911).

The Ming jingshi wenbian was written to provide an anthology of the finest-written "speeches" on politics. With this compilation, it demonstrates that the Ming dynasty indeed had capable ministers, loyal subjects, and pragmatic politicians. The book is 504 juan long, plus a supplement (Buyi 補遺) of 4 juan. It gathers nearly 3,000 essays, poems, and memorials from 430 officials and scholars of the Ming period. The writings are arranged in chronological order, with authors serving as chapter headings. Therefore, it is not particularly easy to locate writings on a specific problem or topic.

The writings cover all fields of statecraft, like calendar adjustment, state rituals, ancestral temples, state offices, history, soldiers' pay, military supply, border defence, maritime defence, tributes, grain transport, disaster relief, agriculture, river conservancy, dykes and dams, maritime transport, fiscal and monetary policy, salt policy, penal and administrative law, tax system, labour corvée, education, selection and appointment of state officials, the system of memorials to the throne, and much more. It should be demonstrated how the Ming dynasty was able to reign peacefully for such a long time, regardless of all the chaos and disasters which befell the country.

The compilers even included writings of notoriously corrupt figures like Yan Song 嚴嵩 (1480-1567) or Xiong Tingbi 熊廷弼 (1569-1625), if only their policies proved to be effective. The Ming jingshi wenbian offers valuable insight into the first stages of decision-making by incorporating suggestions from various sides, not just those of the dominant party. About one-third of the book contains documents on warfare and defence, allowing for a detailed study of an aspect of Ming dynasty politics often dismissed as inconsequential, given that the Ming military was considered inept.

Among the most enlightening writings are the following: Ye Boju's 葉伯巨 letter (Wanyanshu 萬言書) to the tyrannic Hongwu Emperor 洪武 (r. 1368-1398), criticising him for the lavish apanages to his princes and the excessive use of capital punishment. In a memorial (Zao zhu jianxian qiaoning zeichen shu 早誅奸險巧佞賊臣疏), Yang Jisheng 楊繼盛 (1516-1555) accused Yan Song, the powerful Counsellor-in-chief. Hai Rui 海瑞 (1514-1587) submitted his famous memorial (Zhi'anshu 治安疏) criticizing the Jiajing Emperor 嘉靖帝 (r. 1522-1566). Yang Lian 楊漣 (1572-1625) presented to the throne a memorial (Jiucan nidang shu 糾參逆璫疏) revealing the machinations of the almighty and corrupt eunuch Wei Zhongxian 魏忠賢 (1568-1627). These writings expose the critical system of the Ming period autocracy and the role of the eunuchs as mediators between the emperor and the court officials.

The Ming jingshi wenbian had a significant influence on the compilation of similar books during the Qing period, particularly the Qing jingshi wenbian 清經世文編. There is a very late Ming-period print by the Pinglu Studio 平露堂. During the Qing era, the Ming jingshi wenbian was prohibited from circulation. In 1962, the Zhonghua Shuju Press 中華書局 produced a modern edition based on the Pinglu version, with punctuation marks and an index of persons.