明夷待訪錄

About this book

"明夷待訪錄" by Huang Zongxi is a political work written between 1661-1662. This radical text challenges China's absolute monarchy and is viewed as an early call for civil rights and democratic governance—written a century before Rousseau's "Social Contract." Known as the work of "The Father of Chinese Enlightenment," it became highly influential during late Qing reform movements. Scholars have debated whether it truly contains democratic principles, with some calling it China's ancient Declaration of Human Rights. (This is an automatically generated summary.)