Built upon the research by early scholars in the Republican Era (1911-1949), contemporary Chinese scholarship in the Southern Ming (1644-1662 or 1683) actually took a tumultuous path to come to this point today, rising from low tide to high tide. The development can be divided into three phases: first, from the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 to the beginning of the Cultural Revolution in 1966; then, from the economic reform began in 1978 to the turn of the century; and finally, the first two decades of the 21st Century. Scholarly monographs began to appear and increased in number while academic papers proliferated exponentially. The scope of research ranged from politics, economy, culture to diplomacy, military affairs and society, covering many aspects of the Southern Ming polity. Research theories and methods were ever more sophisticated and enlightening. Xie Guozhen (1901-1982), Qian Haiyue (1901-1968), Nan Bingwen (b. 1942), and Gu Cheng (1934-2003) among other experts in the general history of the Southern Ming contributed significantly to our understanding of this period. It should not go unmentioned that a brilliant younger generation took up the baton and continues to be productive. Due to the well-established teaching of the Southern Ming history, a great number of Master's theses and doctoral dissertations were written on the subject, proving that young scholars can certainly drive this field of research forward.