Xu Hong is one of Taiwan's leading researchers on the social and economic history of the Ming and Qing dynasties. He has served as head of the Department of History at National Taiwan University.
Xu Hong: Most people don’t read what history professors write, but the public needs historical knowledge. China has always been like this in history. After great chaos, it can recover immediately after a few years of stability. There are few books on Chinese history written from beginning to end for general readers.