"Millennium Paradox" Author: Zhang Hongjie Publisher: Chongqing Publishing House

Introduction
"Humans are very complex animals, so complex that sometimes even humans themselves are dumbfounded." Historical figures who are labeled with various labels are particularly difficult to write about.
Well-known historian Zhang Hongjie has taken a unique approach, "neither criticizing nor looking up, he just holds a compassionate heart, puts himself in the shoes of the characters he writes, and shares their joys and sorrows". Historical figures such as Wu Sangui, Zeng Guofan, Cixi, and Zhu Yuanzhang, who are familiar to the public, have been stripped of all kinds of bizarre labels, showing the "paradox" that they struggled to break free from the shackles of the times in the entanglement of good and evil, but ultimately could not escape the destined ending. China's imperial examination system, the sinicization of the Manchus, the truth about hermits and other historical events also present the alienation and distortion of human nature at multiple levels.
"Millennium Paradox" is Zhang Hongjie's first work, and it contains the origins of the ideas of his subsequent wonderful works. Perhaps some of the content subverts our previous cognition, but it is undeniable that Zhang Hongjie writes about the complexity and richness of human nature, presents the rich background of historical figures, and brings readers more useful thinking.
About the Author
Zhang Hongjie
He holds a PhD in History from Fudan University and a postdoctoral fellowship from Tsinghua University. He is currently a researcher at the School of History of Renmin University of China. He has written "The Hungry Prosperity", "The Biography of Zeng Guofan", "The Front and Side of Zeng Guofan", "Seven Faces of the Ming Dynasty", "A Brief Reading of Chinese History", "A Brief Reading of Japanese History", "The Millennium Paradox", "Hongwu: The Success and Failure of Zhu Yuanzhang", etc. He has lectured on "The Success and Failure of Qianlong" on "Lecture Room". He is the chief writer of the large-scale documentary "Eight Hundred Years of Chu State".