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The shilu 實錄 "veritable records" were the official chronicles of the reigns of Chinese emperors. They were compiled after the death of an emperor with the help of different archival documents. They include selected edicts, part of them responding to palace memorials submitted by state officials. Used to serve as an official presentation of an emperor's reign they are by no means to be taken literally because they only contain selected material and because the texts have been polished in relation to linguistics and semantics. They can, nevertheless, be used as historical primary sources because they deal with a lot of aspects on government, from ritual observancies to local administration, fiscal affairs and military campaigns. There is only a small portion of Tang period 唐 (618-907) veritable records surviving. The veritable records of the Ming 明 (1368-1644) and Qing 清 (1644-1911) (Mingshilu 明實錄, Qingshilu 清實錄) are of greatest importance for research in late imperial Chinese history. Veritable records are not narrative, but are strictly chronological presentations of edicts, proclamations and records of imperial activities. In this respect the veritable records can be seen as collections of source documents.
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Chinese literature according to the four-category system
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