Although diverse political reasons accounted for the prohibition of a variety of books, this project manages to identify four specific categories. First, books banned for “advocating robbery,” i.e. fomenting rebellion and revolution, such as the Romance of Sui and Tang Dynasties (Suitang yanyi 隋唐演義), the Marshes of Mount Liang (Shui hu zhuan 水滸傳), the Revolutionary Army (Geming jun 革命軍). Consequently, maps and books on the art of war could not be possessed by the commoners for they were potential tools for launching rebellions against the authority. Second, books banned for authorial reasons. Specifically, their authors were often punished, imprisoned, or executed for their political stands during faction struggles. Famous names include Fang Xiaoru, Gu Yanwu, Qu Dajun, and the late Qing reformers. Third, books banned for their partisan tendencies. A great amount of history books were accused of advocating nostalgia for the Ming ruling house and promulgating anti-Qing thoughts, such as the Record of the Ten Days in Yangzhou (Yangzhou shiri ji 揚州十日記), A Record of Historical Events of Ming Dynasty (Ming shi jishi benmo 明史記事本末). Forth, books banned for their contentious contents. Subjects showing disrespect for or implying sarcastic remarks on the Qing throne were prohibited, such as Chuan Shan’s Posthumous Papers (Chuanshan yishu 船山遺書), A Collection of Reading Pictures (Du hua lu 讀畫錄).