PERPETUAL HAPPINESS. THE MING EMPEROR YONGLE
Roderich Ptak assesses Shih-Shan Henry Tsai’s Perpetual Happiness: The Ming Emperor Yongle (University of Washington Press, 2001) as the first English-language monograph devoted exclusively to the Yongle reign (1403–1424). Tsai presents a lively, largely narrative portrait that resists dry philology...
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| Published in: | Review of Culture |
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| Format: | Articles |
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Instituto Cultural de Macau
April 2003
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| Online Access: | https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40006/2717 |
| Summary: | Roderich Ptak assesses Shih-Shan Henry Tsai’s Perpetual Happiness: The Ming Emperor Yongle (University of Washington Press, 2001) as the first English-language monograph devoted exclusively to the Yongle reign (1403–1424). Tsai presents a lively, largely narrative portrait that resists dry philology and conventional militarism, organizing a chronological account around Yongle’s life while interweaving the workings of court institutions, state finance, and political networks. The study foregrounds both the emperor’s formidable political and military achievements and his sustained cultural patronage, including the lavish Yongle dadian and the distribution of Gujin Lienü Zhuan for educational purposes. Ptak notes that Tsai balances traditional concerns with new insights, building a coherent picture of Yongle as a dynamic ruler who sought grandeur through centralization, expansive campaigns, and cultural projects. The reviewer traces chapters on Yongle’s formative years, his rise to power, major political events, and the concomitant economic strains and ministerial tensions that accompanied his efforts—tensions that ultimately affected the emperor’s health and the empire’s trajectory after his death. While praising the book’s readability and balanced approach, Ptak observes occasional instances where details could be presented with greater precision. Overall, Tsai’s monograph is a valuable, nuanced contribution to Ming studies, reframing Yongle as both autocrat and cultural patron and highlighting the period’s enduring legacies. |
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| ISSN: | 1682-1106 |