A Ming Dynasty Xingren in the Messenger's Office(Xingren Si):Yan Congjian and the Northeast Jurchen's Historical Events
In the early Ming Dynasty,the Messenger's Office(Xingren Si)was established as a specialized agency of the court in charge of diplomatic relations and near-neighbor ethnic affairs.It possessed power disproportionate to its low rank.On diplomatic missions,Xingrens as envoys promoted diplomacy before the use of force and turned hostility into friendship.They functioned in comparable roles to military generals.Late in the reign of the Jiajing Emperor,Yan Congjian,who earned a Jinshi rank,served in the Messenger's Office(Xingren Si)for six years,providing advice for envoys and council for the court to decide upon foreign and ethnic policies.He complied two books,Shi Zhi Wen Xian Tong Bian and Shu Yu Zhou Zi Lu,which recorded in detail the deeds and events of the outside countries and ethnic tribes.The relevant historical facts of the Northeast Jurchen his books recorded filled a gap of missing historical information,which was either forbidden or excluded in the process of compiling Si Ku Quan Shu.His books are of exceptional value for research on the pre-Qing history.Yan Congjian is therefore well deserved to be called an outstanding historian of our country in the areas of Sino-foreign relations and the history and geography of the frontier ethnic groups in the sixteen century.
The Messenger's Office(Xingren Si)Yan CongjianShi Zhi Wen Xian Tong BianShu Yu Zhou Zi LuJurchen