清前中期的南明史撰述，是记载崇祯十七年甲申三月之后在南方相继而起的弘光、隆武、鲁监国、永历等南明政权与人民群众抗清斗争的私家撰述群体，是中国古代史学上特殊的史学现象之一，也是中国古代史学上如何处理封建王朝易代之际历史的突出代表之一。它以关注历史与社会变迁，重视总结历史成败得失，弘扬民族气节，褒奖忠孝节烈为主要内容和学术旨趣。清前中期，南明史撰述，数量宏富，体裁多样，种类繁多，堪称中国史学上私人撰史甚为发达的时代。清代学者全祖望曾以“明季野史，不下千家”一语称之。这一时期的私家史学，在前期史学发展的基础上，重视史书体裁的选择和运用，注重体例的变通和运用，注重史料的博取与采摭；而且，私家南明史撰述重视对明亡与南明败亡的历史成败得失等经验教训的总结和分析，重视运用史学的彰善瘅恶的社会功能，着力表彰忠义，成为中国古代史学上宣扬忠节观念、表彰忠义行为的新高潮。而且，对于“明亡”的断限及南明王朝正统的论述，从中反映了当时私家学者对于南明历史地位及其历史作用的考虑和看法。反映了中国史学的丰富遗产。在中国史学上，在近三百年学术史上，都具有较重要的历史地位和历史意义。当然，私家撰史，难免有其不足，如门户习气，党见横生，毁誉任意，传闻失实，是其不足之处。清前中期的南明史撰述受到了官方史学政策的影响。顺、康间两次大型的文字狱，庄廷 《明史》案与戴名世《南山集》案，之后，清廷严厉地禁毁私家南明史撰述，使私家撰述兴盛的势头遭到遏制。乾隆时期，官方史学政策的变化，对于明末以来的私史（包括大量的私家南明史撰述）进行了全方位的销毁和厉禁，借纂修《四库全书》之机，“寓禁于征”、“寓禁于修”，使私史之作复壁深藏，或变换面目，或伪托他人，以传抄的形式潜行世间。清代私家南明史撰述与官方史学之间，也有着双向的交流和促进的发展态势。一方面，大量明末以来的私史，包括清前中期的南明史撰述，在清廷“虽有忌讳，亦不治罪”的宣传下，被上交至《明史》馆，为官方《明史》修纂提供史料基础和史料支撑，使《明史》修纂具有参考借鉴。另一方面，官修《明史》严厉的“忌讳”，也对南明史撰述造成了较大的影响。有些私家撰述上交过程中，遭到肆意的篡改；史官不敢秉笔直书南明抗清历史，从而造成了官修《明史》的阙疑与不足；但又在一定程度上刺激和激发了私家学者对于这段历史的搜讨和撰著。官方《明史》的消极影响，反而促进了私家南明史撰述的发展。二是乾隆朝利用官方权威，先后编纂《御批历代通鉴辑览》、《钦定胜朝殉节诸臣录》、《钦定贰臣传》、《钦定逆臣传》等官修史书，对南明历史与人物进行重新审视、定位和论断。不仅借机劝奖忠孝，加强教化，为其政治统治服务，而且控制了民间私家史学关于南明历史的意见和讨论，此后私家南明史撰述无不奉为圭臬，成为后期南明史撰述采取的唯一标准。清廷对于南明历史与人物的重新诠释与衡定，是官方史学的一个重要构成部分。

The Southern Ming History Writings in the early and midterm periods of Qing Dynasty, which recorded that the history of southern regimes such as Hongguang, Longwu, Regent Lu, Yongli and so forth, and the masses had violent struggles against the Qing State in the southern China after Jiashen, A.D.1644, the 17th year of the Chongzhen period of the Ming Dynasty, was one of particular phenomena in the ancient China historiography, was also one of outstanding modals on how to deal with the old dynasty that was replaced with the other new one. They regarded paying close attention to historic and social changes, and summarizing historic gains and losses, developing and propagating the men’s loyalty for the Southern Ming regime, as their primary coverage and academic objectives.The Southern Ming history writings had lots of quantities and forms of history and kinds of history in that time, which was the times of more flourishing unofficial history in the ancient China historiography, which was called as “Unofficial writings in the later Ming Dynasty were as many as over one thousand ”, by the famous scholar Zuwang Quan, in the midterm Qing Dynasty. The historiography that was based on the early stage, paid more attention to the election and utilization of forms of history, summarizing the gains and losses of the deaths of the Ming and the Southern Ming dynasties , applied the historical function to distinguishing the good and punishing the evil, holding high the great banner of the loyalty history, and became a new climax of honoring the loyalists’ history, in the ancient China historiography. In addition, the arguments over the segmentation of the death of the Ming Dynasty, and the legitimism of the Southern Ming regimes, show us some considerations and attitudes towards their historic statues and roles, were much richer historiographic heritage. So we think this historiography has more important historical position and significance in the ancient Chinese history, even in the history of Chinese scholarship during the past over three hunderd years.The Southern Ming history writings were affected by the official policies, for example, the cases of Ming Shi compiled by Tinglong Zhuang and Collections of Nanshan compiled by Mingshi Dai, the two large literacy persecutions for the later Ming history considered offensive by the imperial Qing government. From then on, thriving unofficial Ming history writings were suppressed under the prohibitions of the Qing government. During the Qianlong period, the Qing government took the opportunity of compiling the Imperial Collection of Four Branches of Literacy, and kept the unofficial history writings compiled down from the later Ming Dynasty on, including more Southern Ming history writings all around, so-called “ putting the prohibition into the compilation”, in order that unofficial history writings were hidden deeply, forged their names and writings and authors by others, broadcast by making private copies.There were some two-way communications between the unofficial Southern Ming history writings and the official historiography in the Qing Dynasty. On the one hand, many unofficial writings were turned over to the Ming Shi Bureau, in charge of compiling the history of the Ming Dynasty, by propagandizing “Though the unofficial writings had some taboos against the Great Qing Dynasty, their authors or owners would not be punished for them”, provided official compilation of the Ming Shi with rich historical data for its support and example. On the other hand, the taboos had more adverse impact on the unofficial writings, which were falsified deliberately by some officials in the course of being handed in; and some official historians could not write down the truth of the story of Southern Ming regimes and the masses’ anti-Qing in the official Ming Shi, which stimulated unofficial historians to devote them to compiling this history again. In some sense, the adverse impact brought about some unexpected outcome. Also,in the reign of Qianlong, the Qing government took advantage of authority and compiled a series of official histories successively, for example, the Imperial Perused Sets of Zizhi Tongjian, the Imperial Biography of Martyrs to the Defunct Dynasty, the Imperial Biography of Turncoat Officials, the Imperial Biography of Rebels, having some new orientation and judgment about the Southern Ming history and those people, not only to persuade and reward loyalty and strengthen moralization in order to do their government a service, but also to manipulate and terminate the arguments of unofficial writings. From then on, the official judgment was regarded as the only standard of the unofficial Southern Ming history writings.