Dayi juemi lu
- Chinese: 大義覺迷錄 (Dàyì jué mí lù)
The Dàyì jué mí lù is a text compiled by the court of the Yongzheng Emperor (r. 1722-1735), discussing the false accusations of Zeng Jing (that Yongzheng was a murderer and usurper, and that the Manchus were barbarians, little better than animals, who should be driven out of China), and responding to them with assertions of the legitimacy of Yongzheng, and of the Qing Dynasty as a whole. Following its compilation, the Dàyì jué mí lù was circulated quite widely within the Qing Empire, to high and local officials, and even to local schools.
Sections of the text defend the Qing invasion of China, relating that the Manchus came to China not as barbarian invaders, but in order to rescue China from the rebellion of Li Zicheng, and to restore peace and order to a land in turmoil. Further, the text cites ancient examples to argue that the Mandate of Heaven has never distinguished between Han Chinese (Hua) and others (Yi)[1], but rather has supported whomever brings peace and order to the land.
References
- Evelyn Rawski, Early Modern China and Northeast Asia: Cross-Border Perspectives, Cambridge University Press (2015), 221.
- ↑ Hua and yi are most typically translated as "civilization" and "barbarian." See Sinocentric world order.