方志远

Fang Zhiyuan is an author whose writing centers on Chinese history and political institutions. Publicly available information about him is limited, and no systematic account of his life has yet appeared. Judging from the five works held in the library, his writing spans the history of political institutions, dynastic history, biography, and philosophical reading. These include a specialized study of how power operated in the Ming dynasty, a history written for general readers on why the Ming collapsed, a biography of Su Shi, a work taking a philosophical perspective, and a two-volume concise history of China over fifty thousand years, which shows his ability to handle long-span general history. Overall, his works combine scholarly concern with readability, approaching their subjects through institutions, individuals, and thought, and will appeal to readers interested in political history, historical works, and biography.