Southeast Asia in the Ming Reign Chronicles (14th-17th
Centuries)
Date: Fri, 15 Apr 2005 09:11:20 -0700 (PDT)
From: Judith Henchy <judithh@u.washington.edu
Reply-To: Vietnam Studies Group <vsg@u.washington.edu
To: vsg@u.washington.edu
Subject: [Vsg] Southeast Asia in the Ming Reign Chronicles (14th-17th
Centuries): (fwd)
Very interesting project by Geoff Wade and Singapore University Press.
Thanks Geoff for sending this to us.
Judith
The Asia Research Institute of the National University of Singapore and Singapore University Press are pleased to offer to researchers the following gratis online resource.
Southeast Asia in the Ming Reign Chronicles (14th-17th Centuries):
An English-language translation of Ming shi-lu references to Southeast
Asia by Geoff Wade, Asia Research Institute, National University of
Singapore
http://www.epress.nus.edu.sg/msl/
The Ming shi-lu (also known as the Veritable Records of the Ming Dynasty) is a collective name for the successive reign annals of the
emperors of Ming China (1368-1644). These collected texts, which run
to close to 40,000 pages of unpunctuated, manuscript Classical Chinese
constitute one of the most important primary texts of the Ming
dynasty, and contain a wealth of materials unrecorded in other
sources.
Among the unique materials contained within the Ming shi-lu (MSL) are
a wide range of references to polities and societies which today we
consider to be parts of "Southeast Asia". This work identifies all of
the 4,000-plus references to Southeast Asia contained within the MSL
and provides them to readers in English-language translation. In
addition to the more obvious Southeast Asian polities of maritime and
mainland Southeast Asia, this database also includes references to the
many Yunnan Tai polities which have subsequently been incorporated
within the Chinese state.
The collection can be browsed chronologically or searched by specific
terms. To assist in searches, an index of personal and geographical
names, with their Chinese equivalents ppended, is provided
separately. The database also includes some introductory essays on the
nature of the source. An analytical volume which examines the
relevance of these materials for the study of Southeast Asia is in
preparation and is slated for publication by NUS Press in 2007.
This database is intended to remain a gratis resource and it is hoped
that readers will helpimprove it by submitting comments, criticisms,
corrections and additions. All correspondence relating to the database
should be addressed to Geoff Wade at: arigpw@nus.edu.sg or c/o Asia
Research Institute, Level 4, AS7, Shaw Foundation Building, 5 Arts
Link, NUS, Singapore 117570