New Chronicles of Beijing Published

New Chronicles of Beijing Published

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Off press lately in Beijing is a new great work known as "Annals of Beijing". Of large size and the first of its kind ever compiled in China since founding of the People's Republic in 1949, the work, as has been designed, is to be published in 137 volumes, 100 million words in all. So far, 70 percent of the compilation work has been fulfilled. According to plan, the whole publication is to be completed by 2003.

Beijing was first known to have its earliest work of chronicles during the Sui (581-618), and the most complete one survived history was reported to be the one "Chronicles of Shuntian Prefecture During the Wanli Reign (1573-1620)" compiled during the Ming times (1368-1644). However, many discrepancies were found between facts and accounts due to historical limitations in compilation and facts seeking. This raises the necessity without doubt for a new chronicle to be compiled in Beijing.

Since 1989, altogether over 2,000 professionals and experts in history and other fields have taken part in the compilation work. Many precious historical materials were sorted out such as those of artisans involved in the construction of the Forbidden City, crimes committed by the Eight Allied Powers 1900 in Beijing and the first plane import by the Qing Government. In addition, not a few compilatory mistakes and others such as those on the founding time of Beiping Anti-Japanese Base and that of local people's democratic power in the area of old Beiping during the War of Resistance Against Japan (1937-1945), have been corrected.

"Annals of Beijing", as has been decided, is to be published only with 4000 copies in each issue.



By PD Online Staff Li Heng