China Great Encyclopedia: Music Dance

Author: Editorial Department of the China Encyclopedia Press
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-09-01
Features: The China Encyclopedia is a large-scale comprehensive encyclopedia of our country. China has had a tradition of compiling reference works since ancient times. Over two thousand years, more than four hundred types of reference works of various sizes have been published. These works are treasures of our national cultural heritage, as they collect, organize, and preserve important materials from the scientific and cultural classics of our dynasties in a categorized manner. Some earlier reference works have been lost, but many have been passed down or partially preserved to this day, and they are cherished by scholars in China and the world. Various reference works differ in structure, with some approaching the type of encyclopedia but not meeting the modern definition of one. In the mid-18th century, as China was compiling the massive Siku Quanshu, modern-style encyclopedias were published successively in France, Germany, England, Italy, and other Western European countries. Later, countries like the United States, Russia, and Japan also followed suit. Modern-style encyclopedias concisely summarize past human knowledge and history while emphasizing the latest achievements in contemporary science and culture. Over the past two centuries, the experience of compiling encyclopedias has been accumulated, with improvements in knowledge classification, editing methods, illustration arrangements, and indexing systems, making them increasingly scientific and refined. Today, encyclopedias play a vital role in human cultural activities, and various types of encyclopedias have become almost as essential as dictionaries in daily life. The Chinese intellectual community, with a long tradition of compiling reference works, has long aimed to produce modern-style encyclopedias. In the early 20th century, several small, practical encyclopedias were attempted, including the encyclopedia-like dictionary Cihai, but none met the standards of modern encyclopedias. When the People's Republic of China was founded, the then-Publishing Bureau considered publishing a Chinese encyclopedia, and later plans for the development of science and culture over a twelve-year period also included the compilation and publication of encyclopedias. However, plans to launch this work in 1958 were not realized. It was not until 1978 that the State Council decided to compile and publish the China Encyclopedia and established the China Encyclopedia Press to oversee the project. As the first encyclopedia of China, the compilation work was inevitably challenging. However, due to the urgent demand from the academic community, it was not feasible to wait for the collection of relatively complete materials from all disciplines before starting the compilation. Nor could it wait for all entries to be written before compiling the entire work in alphabetical order by the Chinese phonetic alphabet. Instead, experts and scholars from across the country were invited to write entries for different disciplines separately, with each discipline published as a volume. This approach allowed the encyclopedia to be released in installments. While this method inevitably introduced some drawbacks, it was the only viable solution under the circumstances. We plan to adopt the common practice of modern encyclopedias in the second edition, arranging all entries in alphabetical order without categorization by discipline, making it easier for readers to find and reference information. The China Encyclopedia first edition is organized by discipline, with entries within each discipline arranged alphabetically, supplemented by a stroke index and other indexes for easier reference. The content of the China Encyclopedia covers various disciplines and fields, including philosophy, social sciences, literature and art, culture and education, natural sciences, and engineering technology. It is preliminarily planned to have a total of 80 volumes, with each volume containing approximately 1.2 to 1.5 million words (including illustrations and indexes), with the entire set scheduled to be completed in about ten years. The first edition will have more volumes and a greater number of words than most general encyclopedias in foreign countries but will be comparable in length to the first editions of some foreign encyclopedias. We plan to adjust and condense the content in the second edition. The book is published in volumes organized by discipline (knowledge categories). Each discipline is compiled into one or more volumes, or several disciplines may be combined into a single volume. Entries are arranged in alphabetical order by the Chinese phonetic alphabet, supplemented by stroke order and stroke shape. When entries have the same pronunciation, they are ordered by the number of strokes, from few to many. Each volume of a discipline generally includes an introductory article summarizing the content of the discipline before the classified index of entries. Each volume also provides a classified index of all entries in the discipline to give readers a comprehensive overview. The classified index reflects the hierarchical relationship of entries. Topics that intersect between disciplines are covered in relevant volumes, such as "Computational Fluid Dynamics," which appears in both the Mathematics and Mechanics volumes, with content tailored to the requirements of each discipline. Most entry titles are single words, such as "Surface" or "Group," while others are phrases, such as "Convergence in Probability Theory." The Chinese phonetic alphabet is added above the title, and most titles are accompanied by their corresponding foreign equivalents. The explanations of entries in the book are written in standardized modern Chinese. Generally, the explanation does not repeat the title of the entry. If the content of an entry refers to other entries that need to be supplemented, the "See" method is used. The titles of referenced entries are printed in italics in the explanation of the current entry. The book includes necessary illustrations in the explanations of entries. Color illustrations are compiled into separate inserts and are noted in the relevant explanations. Reference bibliographies are appended to important entries for readers to consult. Each volume of the book includes a stroke index, a foreign language index, and a content index of all entries. The scientific and technical terms used in the book are approved by relevant authorities. For terms that have not yet been standardized, conventional usage is followed. Place names are based on those approved by the Chinese Geographical Names Commission, with common alternative translations provided in parentheses when necessary. Except where traditional characters are required, the simplified characters listed in the Total List of Simplified Characters published by the State Language Commission in October 1986 are used. Numbers in the book are generally expressed in Arabic numerals, except where traditional Chinese numerals are customary.