Read History and Notes (12 volumes in total)

Author: Gu Zu Yu
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-03-01
Features: A Comprehensive Atlas of Historical Geography is a geographical work from the early Qing Dynasty. Originally titled A Comprehensive Atlas of Historical Geography Based on Twenty-One Histories, it was compiled by Gu Zu Yu (1631–1692). Gu Zu Yu, styled Jing Fan and known as Mr. Wan Xi, was from Wuxi, Jiangsu. He began compiling the book in the 16th year of the Shunzhi reign (1659) and completed it over a span of twenty years. The entire work consists of 130 volumes. The first nine volumes describe the historical changes and geographical trends of dynasties, while the next 114 volumes detail the mountains, rivers, strategic passes, and administrative divisions (prefectures, prefectures, counties, and military posts) of the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty, along with historical events, territorial changes, ancient sites, and military advantages. The following six volumes focus on the differences between rivers and streams, including the sources and courses of the Yellow River and Grand Canal, as well as maritime routes. The final volume covers the celestial regions. Additionally, A Concise Guide to Maps (four volumes) is appended, containing maps of the two capitals and thirteen provinces, the nine frontier defenses, the Yellow River, maritime transport, the Grand Canal, and regions such as Korea, Annam, coastal barbarians, and deserts. The work references over 100 historical and geographical texts, including twenty-one histories, general gazetteers, and local records, compiling the achievements of historical geography before the Ming Dynasty. It was praised as "a work unparalleled in thousands of years" during its time. Although completed during the Shunzhi and Kangxi reigns of the Qing Dynasty, the content is limited to the territory and administrative divisions before the late Ming Dynasty. The published version underwent minor revisions, so there are slight differences between the manuscript, copy, and published versions. Early Qing published editions also had revisions. The manuscript is now preserved in the Shanghai Library, along with multiple copies and published versions. The earliest published edition from the 16th year of the Jiaqing reign (1811), Long Wan Yu's Wen Fang Pavilion Edition, is the currently circulated version. This book is a comprehensive summary of historical geography, particularly military geography, in ancient China. The current collation is based on the rare manuscript Shangqiu Song Family's Weixiao Study Manuscript from the Beijing Library Special Collection.