Abstract
Fanglue (Official Campaign Histories) was invented by the Kangxi court and was thenceforth compiled until the end of the Qing dynasty. Fanglue was an archival collection of correspondence between the emperor and his generals concerning the conduct of wars and postwar reconstruction and has been cited by scholars as historical documents. Recent scholarship, however, has gradually broken away from the documentary perspective, identifies how archives and records were sometimes heavily edited in fanglue, and interprets the compilation within the larger context of Qing military culture. Nonetheless, in order to understand the meaning of the Kangxi invention and his followers’ compilations, we need to analyze the origins of the special format of fanglue, the context in which fanglue appeared, and its effects. Although one scholar has pointed out that fanglue might have followed the war memorials compiled in the Ming dynasty, this connection and its meaning need to be further explored. In fact, the compilation of the war memorials was so popular that they were not only the records of an official or a specific war but also an important medium for self-expression among officials. The popularity of the war memorials also affected their position in historical writings. This article discusses the development of Ming memorials, explores their changes during the Kangxi reign, analyses their relationship to the compilation of the Kangxi fanglue, and concludes with the evolution of the Qianlong fanglue. The approach of longue durée allows us to trace and compare the relationship between memorials and fanglue in order to reinvestigate the meaning and development of fanglue, as well as the character of the Manchu culture of martial prowess. Keywords: fanglue (official campaign histories), memorials, Kangxi, imperial prerogative, military culture