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The Haiguo tuzhi 海国图志 "Atlas and description of the countries beyond the seas" is a world geography written by the late Qing period 清 (1644-1911) historian and philosopher Wei Yuan 魏源. Under the impression of China's defeat during the First Opium War Wei Yuan compiled a military history of the Qing dynasty, the Shengwuji 圣武记, and the 100 juan"scrolls" long Haiguo tuzhi. The compilation of a world geography was suggested to him by governor Lin Zexu 林则徐 who had translated Hugh Murray's (1779-1846) Encyclopaedia of Geography, Comprising a Complete Description of the Earth under the title of Sizhouzhi 四洲志 "The Four Continents". The need to deal with a new danger of "barbarians" attacking China necessitated a deeper knowledge of their states, their customs and habits and their history. China was to learn from the advanced technology of the barbarians in order to check them. Foreign naval, military and industrial technology was to be adopted by China. China's armies had furthermore to be modernized, with a clear cut in quantity in favour to a better training and professionalization.

Ernü yingxiong zhuan 儿女英雄传 "The Story of a Hero Boy and Hero Girls", this novel not very known outside of China was written by a person called Yanbei Xianren 燕北闲人 or Wen Kang 文康 and published in 1878. Stories of heroes and fighters are very popular in China still today and of course have been in old China, spread around by storytellers that wandered from town to town. This novel is compounded of many small stories that spin around the couple He Yufeng 何玉凤 and An Ji 安骥. When He Yufeng's father died from sorcery, she went to the woods to divide herself into 13 fighting girls. They help An Ji to free his father from jail and play as a matchmaker for him. Loyalty, piety, righteousness, love and heroism make out this novel that ends in a thorough familiar luck. It is a wishful freeing of social darkness in a time where arbitrary officers blame innocent people. With its rich language, this novel is very widespread and has many sequels.