In ancient Chinese history, dynasty replacement was often accompanied by rewriting or tampering with the history of the previous dynasty to serve the political legitimacy needs of the new dynasty. The following are some typical examples that may be tampered with or selectively recorded for political purposes： --- ### **1. The early history of Xia, Shang, and Zhou** -**Political motivation**: In order to emphasize the legitimacy of the “transfer of destiny”, the Zhou Dynasty may have shaped the Shang Dynasty (Dixin) as a typical tyrant, such as the descriptions of the wine pond meat forest and the mutilation of Zhongliang recorded in the "Book of Shang" and "Historical Records". Modern archaeological discoveries have shown that although there was a human sacrifice system in the late Shang Dynasty, the “tyranny” of King Zhou may have been deliberately exaggerated by the Zhou people to demonstrate the rationality of the Zhou people's overthrow of the Shang Dynasty. -**Case **: There is almost no clear record of the Xia Dynasty in the oracle bones of the Shang Dynasty, which has led to the existence of the Xia Dynasty being disputed for a long time. The Zhou Dynasty may have used documents such as the Book of Shang to construct a narrative of the orthodox inheritance of the Xia-Shang-San dynasties. --- ### **2. Qin Dynasty and Burning Books** -**Political motivation**: In order to unify his thoughts, Qin Shihuang burned the history books of the Six Kingdoms and Confucian classics, retaining only documents officially recognized by the State of Qin (such as "Qin Ji"). After the establishment of the Han Dynasty, the Qin Dynasty was shaped as a representative of “tyranny” through “Historical Records” and other documents, emphasizing its severe punishment and abuse of civil power to highlight the legitimacy of the Han Dynasty's "instigating chaos and correcting". -**Controversy**: The “burning of books” of the Qin Dynasty was mainly aimed at the historical records of the six kingdoms and private collections of the people, but the scale of the “pit Confucianism” may be exaggerated by the history books of the Han Dynasty. --- ### **3. The deification of Liu Bang by the Han Dynasty** -**Political motivation**: The Han Dynasty deified the founding monarch Liu Bang, portraying his origin as “the red emperor beheaded the white snake uprising", and emphasized that his "leniency“ contrasted with Xiang Yu's ”brutality". Sima Qian kept some folk records criticizing Liu Bang in the "Historical Records" (such as abandoning his wife and children), but official documents (such as the "Book of Han") may be further embellished. -**Case **: The historical facts of the dictatorship of Queen Lu may be deliberately belittled by later Confucian historians in order to maintain the ethical order of “male superiority and female inferiority”. --- ### **4. The Xuanwumen Revolution in the Tang Dynasty** -**Political motivation**: After Tang Taizong Li Shimin seized power through the Xuanwumen Rebellion, historians emphasized the “incompetence” and “conspiracy” of Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji in the "Old Book of Tang" and "New Book of Tang", and may even fictionalize Li Shimin's central role in the founding of the People's Republic of China. The unearthed "Notes on the Founding of the Great Tang Dynasty" show that the contributions of Li Yuan and Li Jiancheng in the establishment of the Tang Dynasty were downplayed by official history books. -**Means of tampering**: Emperor Taizong of Tang once asked to check the records of historians to set a precedent for the emperor's intervention in the cultivation of history. --- ### **5. The Song Dynasty's record of the Chenqiao Mutiny** -**Political motivation**: Zhao Kuangyin replaced Later Zhou through the "Chenqiao Mutiny”. The history books of the Song Dynasty described it as ”forced to wear a yellow robe“ and emphasized the legitimacy of the ”zen surrender" of Emperor Gong of Later Zhou. Details such as the early death of Chai Rong, Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou, Zhao Kuangyin's conspiracy with the general of the Forbidden Army, etc. may be hidden. -**Case **: The vague treatment of the “Axe Sound and Candle Shadow” incident (Zhao Guangyi's succession to the throne) in the history books of the Song Dynasty is still an open case. --- ### **6. The study of "Song History" in the Yuan Dynasty and the study of "Yuan History" in the Ming Dynasty** -**Political motivation**: The Yuan Dynasty emphasized the “weakness” and “heavy literature and heavy weapons” of the Song Dynasty in the "History of Song" to highlight the historical inevitability of the unification of the Yuan Dynasty; the Ming Dynasty highlighted the “ethnic oppression” and “disordered rule” of the Yuan Dynasty in the "History of the Yuan“ to "expel Hu" for the Ming Dynasty.Lu "provides legitimacy. -**Selective record**: The Ming Dynasty downplayed Zhu Yuanzhang's early attachment to the Red Turban Army (which had nominally respected the Yuan Dynasty), and instead constructed a narrative of “expelling the Mongolian Yuan”. --- ### **7. The destruction of historical materials of the Southern Ming Dynasty by the Qing Dynasty** -**Political motivation**: In order to eliminate the idea of anti-Qing and restoration of the Ming Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty destroyed a large number of historical materials of the Southern Ming Dynasty. When compiling the “History of the Ming Dynasty”, it attributed the defeat of the Chongzhen Emperor to “natural disasters” and "pirates", and downplayed the looting before the Qing army entered the customs. At the same time, loyal ministers (such as Shi Kefa) at the end of the Ming Dynasty were shaped into the image of “Yuzhong” to dispel the legitimacy of their resistance. -**Wenwigang**: The Qing Dynasty suppressed nostalgia for the former Ming Dynasty through the “Wenwigang”, such as the Zhuang Ting Wukong's "Ming History Series" case. --- ###**Common patterns of political tampering with history** 1. **Vilify the previous dynasty**: Portray the last monarch of the previous dynasty as a faint and tyrannical image (such as the Shang Dynasty and the Sui Dynasty). 2. **Deification of the dynasty**: Miracles of the origin of fictional rulers (such as Liu Bang's slashing of the white snake, and Zhao Kuangyin's “red light around the room" when he was born). 3. **Cover up the coup d'etat**: Dilute or beautify the change of power