In 878 AD, the fifth year of Qianfu during the reign of Emperor Xizong of the Tang Dynasty.

In this year, Wang Xianzhi died in battle in Huangmei. His followers elected Huang Chao as their leader, named him General Chongtian, and he moved to the south to fight.

In this year, Li Keyong killed Duan Wenchu, the military commander of Datong. The father and son launched a rebellion, and the Shatuo troops plundered Hedong.

This year, bandits rose up in large numbers in the south of the Yangtze River and captured many prefectures and counties.

This year, Henan suffered from drought and locusts for consecutive years, and the soldiers rioted.

This year, Emperor Xizong was busy with cockfighting and ball-playing, ignoring state affairs.

This year, the Tang Dynasty was in turmoil.

This year, Shao Shude, who traveled from the future, had his own ideals. He wanted to climb high and see the lights of thousands of homes; he wanted to travel the mountains and rivers and see the pastoral idyll.

He wants children to grow up healthy, he wants women to be free from humiliation, and he wants the elderly to have a good end.

He wants to end this chaotic world.

What could a modern merchant do in late Ming Shanxi? Would he become the leader of the Shanxi merchants? Would he become as wealthy as a nation? Would he win over the people, establish a council, and ultimately transform the Ming Dynasty into a vast joint-stock company? Would he establish a merchant corps, motivate his soldiers with profit, and ultimately gain supreme power? All this is revealed in Ming Dynasty 1617, a book that explores the Ming Dynasty from a merchant's perspective. We look forward to traveling through time and space with you to forge our shared new Ming Dynasty.