The life and ideas of Wang Jingwei—one of the most debated historical figures in Republican China—have often been distorted by secondhand interpretation. Through firsthand material, Wang Jingwei: His Life, Ideas and Beliefs—Reconstructing the History of Republican China with Firsthand Materials allows readers to set aside prejudices to directly understand Wang Jingwei’s revolutionary journey, political choices, and reflections on the nation and its people through his own writings, speeches, and letters. This book is a key source for reconstructing the history of Republican China. For both the general public and scholars, it offers a reading experience that transcends prejudice and confronts history directly. It is also a monograph that studies the thoughts and actions of Wang Jingwei using original primary sources.

This book allows Wang Jingwei to tell his own story, and is based on an unfinished 124-page handwritten autobiographical draft, speeches, essays, poems, and other primary source materials such as the confessions made during Wang’s arrest at the end of the Qing Dynasty. These materials form an important foundation for understanding Wang’s life. Compiled by Wang’s son-in-law, Ho Mang Hang, and supplemented with 55 private letters and recollections from close associates, the book avoids speculation or judgment, and does not glorify or offer new interpretations. It simply provides a firsthand account of the turbulent China from the late Qing Dynasty to the War of Resistance against Japan from Wang’s own perspective. The preface is written by Professor Wang Ke-wen.