Ke Shaomin

Ke Shaomin was a prominent scholar and historian of the Qing dynasty who achieved the rank of juren in the Imperial Examinations. He was born in Jiaozhou, Shandong province, to a wealthy merchant family. His father was a scholar-official who died in prison after opposing the powerful eunuch Wei Zhongxian. Ke followed his father's footsteps and devoted himself to studying Chinese history. He completed the Shilu, or "Veritable Records" of the first thirteen reigns of the Ming dynasty, in 1633. He also participated in the compilation of the Siku Quanshu, the largest collection of books in Chinese history. Ke served as a secretary in the Qing court in its final years. He was appointed as a counsellor to the Chinese embassy in Tokyo, Japan, where he studied the political and social reforms of the Meiji Restoration. He wrote a book titled Treatises on Japan, which impressed the Guangxu Emperor and influenced his decision to launch the Hundred Days' Reform in 1898. Ke also served as a diplomat in London, England, and San Francisco, USA, where he advocated for the rights and interests of the Chinese overseas. He returned to China in 1894 and participated in the reform movement led by Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao. He was arrested and exiled after the failure of the reform, but was later pardoned and allowed to return to his hometown. ¹ Ke's major contribution was writing the New History of Yuan, one of the Twenty-Five Histories, which covered the history of the Mongol Yuan dynasty. He spent more than 30 years on this project, using various sources and materials, including those in Mongolian, Tibetan, and Uyghur languages. He also helped to lead the compilation of the Draft History of Qing, which was the official history of the Qing dynasty. He wrote several chapters and edited the work of other contributors. He died in his hometown in 1933 at the age of 82. ¹²