Shuguang Cultural and Historical Records: Continuation

Author: Wang Shumin
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-07-01
Features: This is another collection compiled by the author at the age of 92, following his previous work Miscellaneous Writings on History and Literature from Shu'an Studio. The book is divided into three parts: Upper, Middle, and Lower. The Upper and Middle parts include 56 articles on various topics such as historical research, ancient text compilation, and academic thought. The Lower part contains Diary of a Journey in Longzhou, a record of the author's observations during the mid-1930s when he accompanied Mr. Gu Jiegang to investigate educational conditions in Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, and other regions.
Author's Self-Introduction: Miscellaneous Writings on History and Literature from Shu'an Studio was compiled in 1988, revised in 1993, and finally published in 1997. By the beginning of the 21st century, the author had accumulated dozens more works, leading to the plan for a sequel. In addition to recent writings, selected older works were also included, divided into the Upper and Middle parts. The Lower part consists of older works from the 1930s, documenting the author's travels and observations in the Longzhou region, thus forming a separate section titled Continued Records of History and Literature from Shu'an Studio, hinting at the continuity with the previous work.
The Qing Dynasty scholar Gu Tinglin once famously said, "Writings must benefit the world." Gu practiced this principle well, and his works are highly regarded. However, times change, and what was valued in the past may no longer hold the same importance, while what was once overlooked may now be cherished. Yet, the principle of benefiting the world remains unalterable. How can writings achieve this? By being grounded in facts, avoiding empty rhetoric and biased arguments, and relying on evidence. Learning from the past to guide the future, being firm yet flexible, and maintaining clarity amidst diversity—these are the qualities that make writings meaningful.
The saying "times change and circumstances evolve" is exemplified by the decline of Confucianism as the core of traditional scholarship after the May Fourth Movement. As a result, classical texts related to Confucianism have gained renewed evaluation. These texts, as ancient records, hold irreplaceable academic value. However, due to the misinterpretations and forced associations of Confucian scholars over the centuries, their original meanings have been obscured. Through reevaluation, these distortions can be corrected, revealing the true nature of ancient Chinese society and culture—a pursuit of historians. Yet, some scholars, blinded by trust in these texts, fall into common errors. For instance, the Book of Documents is divided into Modern Text and Ancient Text, both included in the Commentaries on the Three Classics. The Modern Text is authentic, while the Ancient Text is spurious—a conclusion reached by Qing Dynasty scholars and accepted by academia. Yet, some modern writers treat both texts equally, using them to support historical claims.
Similarly, the Book of Documents Commentary is a specialized work explaining the Book of Documents and its annotations, not a separate chapter titled The Commentary on the Book of Documents. Some even mistakenly write The Book of Documents·Commentary, as if "Commentary" were a chapter title. Thus, common errors have become academic issues. Such mistakes must be addressed, and some critical articles in this collection are written precisely for this reason.
The Book of Documents was originally a direct record of speeches by ancient historians. Later, non-direct records were also compiled. During the Qin Dynasty's book burnings, the Book of Documents was preserved only in official repositories, leading to its near-extinction. Fortunately, Fu Sheng, the Qin scholar in charge of the Book of Documents, secretly preserved some copies. In the early Han Dynasty, when were sought, only 28 chapters passed down by Fu Sheng remained, written in the popular clerical script of the time, hence called the Modern Text Book of Documents. The authenticity of the Modern Text Book of Documents merely indicates its transmission by Fu Sheng. Judging by the standards of direct historical records, many parts were likely inserted by later hands. For example, the Tribute of Yu was traditionally regarded as a record of Yu the Great's success in flood control, a direct document of the Xia Dynasty. Through rigorous analysis, it has been determined that the text was written during the Warring States period, reflecting the natural geography and political ideas of that era. It holds great importance in the study of Chinese historical geography, a result of reevaluating the Tribute of Yu.
The reevaluation of ancient texts is both urgent and complex, making it a key research area in the compilation of ancient texts. Among ancient texts, historical works are second only to Confucian classics. The so-called "Twenty-Four Histories" or "Official Histories" should be treated as historical sources. Through careful analysis, we can understand how ancient people, from primitive societies, gradually developed and advanced, interacting with other ethnic groups along the way. Their eventual achievements and status today are the result of this development.
For historians, understanding historical facts is the most basic requirement. One must be skilled in reading, ensuring that annotations and punctuation align with the original text's meaning. Recently, a publishing house compiled and printed The Collected Works of Wang Guowei from Guan Tang, which includes a passage on the Qing Dynasty's official history. The text reads, "Its style follows the General Principles of Ancient Histories, listing dynasties as a single book." Upon closer inspection, it should read, "Its style follows the General Principles of Ancient Histories, combining dynasties into a single book." The original Guan Tang lacked punctuation, but the editor arbitrarily added it, resulting in this error. Such basic mistakes appearing in a published book demand high attention and cannot be dismissed as mere oversights.
China's ancient history is long and profound, but reliable records only extend back to the Xia, Shang, and Zhou Dynasties. Before that, the period is considered taboo. The legends of the Three Emperors and Five Sovereigns were swept away by new historical perspectives, yet the true history remains unclear. As a result, many scholars choose to ignore this era, focusing solely on archaeological discoveries. Archaeological findings are physical remnants of the past, valuable for understanding ancient cultural development. However, their greatest weakness lies in the lack of names—personal names, place names, object names, institutions, customs, and all proper nouns must be replaced with modern equivalents, such as Yuanmou Man, Peking Man, Yangshao Culture, and Longshan Culture.
In contrast, textual sources offer the potential to resolve such issues. The Upper and Middle parts of this book follow this principle. The Upper part discusses the Discerning Antiquities school, analyzes prehistoric Chinese history, and presents important views on the history of historiography, as well as the value of non-official historical texts. The Middle part introduces the academic achievements of certain ancient scholars and issues related to ancient text compilation, supplemented by miscellaneous articles. The travel diary from the Longzhou region was selected by the Gansu Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference for inclusion in the 28th volume of Selected Historical and Literary Materials from Gansu, compiled with Gu Jiegang's Diary of a Northwest Expedition under the title Records of Wang Shumin's Observations. The preface written for this compilation is included in the Middle part for reference. Additionally, the author's poems serve as fillers for the Upper and Middle parts, preserving traces of his past life.
Wang Shumin
Revised and finalized on May 5, 2003, in Beijing, Hepingli, Wulu.