Photocopying rare copies of the Yongle Dadian

Author: Guangling Shushe Editorial
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-01-01
Features: The Yongle Dadian, edited by the Ming court scholar Xie Jin under imperial decree, was completed between the first and second years of the Yongle era. Initially named "Wenxian Dagong," it was expanded upon by Yao Guangxiao and others due to the Yongle Emperor's dissatisfaction with its incompleteness. It was finalized in winter of 1408 and named "Yongle Dadian." It contains over 7,800 important historical texts, compiled into 11,095 volumes. The entries are organized by single characters, indexed according to the Hongwu Zhengyun phonetic system. Under each character, the phonetic notation and meaning are first noted, followed by the annotations from various rhyme dictionaries and character books, including fanqie and definitions. The character is then presented in its regular script, seal script, clerical script, and cursive script forms. Finally, it compiles relevant records from various books on astronomy, geography, humanities, names of objects, as well as poetry, allusions, and miscellaneous arts. During the Jiajing and Longqing eras, a duplicate was made based on the original Yongle-era copies. The original is said to have been destroyed in a fire during the late Ming dynasty, or buried as an imperial tomb artifact during the Jiajing era, leaving its fate a mystery to this day. The duplicate gradually dispersed during the Xianfeng era of the Qing dynasty. When the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded Beijing, most of the duplicate was destroyed by fire, and the remaining copies were looted. Our publishing house has selected one volume from Zhang Guangkai's "Yongle Shida" publication from the Republican era to publish a facsimile reprint of the Yongle Dadian. This volume includes volumes 7,819 to 7,890. It features preface annotations from the Qianlong-era imperial compilers, indicating its origin from the imperial collection. The book contains illustrations. At the end, the names of the chief and assistant compilers, scribes, and annotators are recorded. The text is in red and black columns, with red highlighting the titles and authors of annotations and quoted texts. The calligraphy is delicate and exquisite, making it a work of art. The book is bound in a typical Ming-era back-cover binding, fully showcasing the early Ming style of bookbinding. The light orange-yellow cover exudes imperial elegance. It holds significant artistic, historical, and bibliographical value.