Ming Shi-lu

The Ming Shi-lu contains the imperial annals of Ming dynasty emperors (1368-1644) and is the single largest historical source for the dynasty and "plays an extremely important role in the historical reconstruction of Ming society and politics." [Wade, 2005b, p. 3]

The section (shi-lu) for each emperor was composed after the emperor's death by a History Office appointed by the Grand Secretariat using different types of historical sources such as:

1. "The Qi-ju zhu (起居注 qǐjūzhù), or 'Diaries of Activity and Repose'. These were daily recordsof the actions and words of the Emperor in court." [Wade, 2005b, p. 4]

2. "The 'Daily Records' (日曆 rìlì). These records, established precisely as a source for thecompilation of the shi-lu, were compiled by a committee on the basis of the diaries andother written sources." [Wade, 2005b, p. 4]

3. Other sources such as materials collected from provincial centres and "culled from other official sources such as memorials, ministerial papers and the Metropolitan Gazette." [Wade, 2005b, p. 4]

All Ming Shi-lu entries that refer to Southeast Asia including references to Tai and other ethnic groups in Yunnan, which borders Southeast Asia, have been translated into English, indexed by date, place name, and personal name, and are available online at [http://epress.nus.edu.sg/msl/ "Southeast Asia in the Ming Shi-lu: an open access resource"] .

References

Wade, Geoff. tr. (2005) [http://epress.nus.edu.sg/msl/ "Southeast Asia in the Ming Shi-lu: an open access resource,"] Singapore: Asia Research Institute and the Singapore E-Press, National University of Singapore.

Wade, Geoff (2005b) [http://epress.nus.edu.sg/msl/MSL.pdf "The Ming Shi-lu as a source for Southeast Asian History,"] , provides detailed and extensive background information on how the Ming Shi-lu was composed and the rhetoric that it uses.

Notes