 | |
| Author | Ray Huang |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | History |
| Publisher | Yale University Press |
Publication date | 1981 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 278 |
| ISBN | 978-0-300-02518-7 |
1587, a Year of No Significance: The Ming Dynasty in Decline (Chinese: 萬曆十五年; pinyin: Wanli Shiwunian) is the most famous work of the Chinese historian Ray Huang. First published by Yale University Press in 1981,[1] it examines how a number of seemingly-insignificant events in 1587 might have caused the downfall of the Ming dynasty.
The Chinese title, meaning "the fifteenth year of the Wanli era", is how the year 1587 was expressed in the Chinese calendar; it is the era name of the reigning Chinese emperor at the time, followed by the year of his reign.
Major figures discussed in the book besides the emperor are Grand Secretaries Zhang Juzheng and Shen Shixing, the official Hai Rui, the general Qi Jiguang, and the philosopher Li Zhi.
Although Huang had completed the manuscript by 1976, no publisher would accept it at first, as it was not serious enough for an academic work but was too serious for popular non-fiction.[2]
The work has been translated into a number of different languages: Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, German, and French.
- ^ Huang, Ray (1981). 1587, A Year of No Significance: The Ming Dynasty in Decline. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-02518-1.
- ^ "黄仁宇名著成书30周年 《万历十五年》出新版".