Zhuang Tinglong Case

The Zhuang Tinglong Case, also known as the Case of Ming [Dynasty] History, was a case of literary inquisition in China in 1661–1663 during the Qing dynasty. The case was about the publication of an unauthorised history of the Ming dynasty – the ruling dynasty in China before the Qing dynasty – by Zhuang Tinglong (莊廷鑨; d. 1655), a merchant from northern Zhejiang Province.

Zhuang Tinglong (莊廷鑨; d. 1655) was a wealthy merchant from Nanxun Town (南潯鎮) in Wucheng (烏程; present-day Huzhou), northern Zhejiang Province. He desired to emulate Zuo Qiuming (556–451 BCE), the author of the Zuo Zhuan, who was also blind like him, by publishing a book of history, specifically on the Ming dynasty. However, he knew little about Ming history, so he decided to start with materials that were already available. He purchased a draft of Ming history, written earlier by the court historian Zhu Guozhen (1557–1632), and hired a team of over 15 scholars from the Jiangnan region, including Wu Yan (吳炎; 1624–1663) and Pan Chengzhang (潘檉章; 1626–1663), to help him edit and build on Zhu Guozhen's work.

The book contained a number of inappropriate references to the Ming dynasty, as well as text considered taboo and defamatory to the Qing dynasty. Some examples include: use of era names of the Ming emperors and other Ming titles and forms; denial of the legitimacy of the Qing dynasty; references to the Manchus and Jianzhou Jurchens as "barbarians"; references to the Qing rulers by their personal names.

The book was published under the title History of Ming (明書) and was composed of more than 100 volumes. Li Lingxi (李令皙; d. 1663) wrote the preface, while Zhuang Tinglong was credited as the lead writer. Other contributors to the book include: Wu Yan, Pan Chengzhang, Mao Yuanming (茅元銘), Wu Zhiming (吳之銘), Wu Zhirong (吳之熔), Li Tao (李濤), Mao Cilai (茅次萊), Wu Chu (吳楚), Tang Yuanlou (唐元樓; d. 1663), Yan Yunqi (嚴雲起), Jiang Linzheng (蔣麟徵; d. 1663), Wei Jinyou (韋金佑), Wei Yiwei (韋一圍), Zhang Gao (張篙), Dong Eryou (董二酉), Lu Qi (陸圻), Zha Jizuo (1601–1676) and Fan Xiang (范驤; 1608–1675).

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