Wukuzhai Qing History Manuscripts

Author: He Lingxiu
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2004-12-01
Features: My collection of historical essays is now complete, comprising fifty-seven articles divided into six groups: the first group consists of fifteen articles on the history of Qing studies (Qing scholars, Qing historical works); the second group contains thirteen essays on the early Qing movement to restore the Ming Dynasty; the third group includes eight essays on the literary history of the Qing Dynasty; the fourth group comprises eight other Qing historical essays; the fifth group consists of nine articles on Ming-Qing documents; and the sixth group contains four essays on remembrances and tributes to teachers and senior scholars. Most of the articles are about Qing history, with only a few pertaining to the Ming Dynasty or not involving the Qing Dynasty, hence the main title "Wukuzhai Qingshigao." Wukuzhai is the name of my study room. Why did I name it Wukuzhai? Because I had some books that needed a management system for easy reference, so I determined my own book classification method, dividing the books into five sections: Ancient Books, Theories, Research, Tools, and Leisure. Each section is further subdivided into several categories, arranged by category and format, which is neat and clear. I also jokingly said: The Qianlong Emperor had the "Siku Quanshu" (Four Treasuries), and I have an additional one—five sections, five treasuries. Therefore, I humorously called my humble abode "Wukuzhai." In reality, I never had a Wukuzhai when I first started; when I made this joke, my family of three were living in a small office space of over ten square meters, and we stayed there for about a decade. I am also an admirer of culture but more of self-mockery, a mix of frustration and helplessness. What remains today is a memory and a commemoration. Hence, I cherish this name and wish to include it in the book title. "Wukuzhai Qingshigao" is a collection of my works from the past two decades. Therefore, it is not a summary of my entire journey in learning and researching history. My professional work falls into two major categories: one is the tasks assigned by the Institute of History, and the other are topics of personal interest that align with my own curiosity. In other words, the former is "planned culture," while the latter are free projects. After joining the Institute of History in 1958, I was deeply influenced by the Great Criticism and subsequent continuous struggles, only doing work that was "officially registered," adhering to rules and regulations, and "marched into the literary world in a fish-like manner" (as described by Deputy Director Yin Da). I participated in the creation of the general history exhibition at the Chinese History Museum, and later contributed to writing works such as "The History of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom," "The Typical Feudal Aristocratic Landlord—A Study of the Kong Family," "Volume VII of the General History of China," "The Record of History—The Shadow History of the 'Gang of Four' and Their Conspiracy to Seize Power," "An Analysis of the Shadow History of the 'Gang of Four'," "Volume II of the Complete History of the Qing Dynasty," and "The Preliminary Biographies of Figures in the Qing Dynasty." I also edited works such as "Selected Archives of the Kong Family in Qufu" and "Qing Historical Studies" and "Qing Historical Materials." I did not engage in research outside of assigned tasks. When working on official assignments, I was fully committed—not only striving to write well under my name but also sharing my research findings and important historical materials with others without reservation. It was not until after the reform and opening-up that I gradually broke free from ideological constraints and began to focus on topics of personal interest, resulting in most of the articles included in this collection. Therefore, "Wukuzhai Qingshigao" is a summary of my self-selected research work during my middle and later years, largely a product of "unplanned culture." Of course, I did not start writing historical essays only in my middle age. My earliest historical essay was my graduation thesis, "Shanxi and Shanxi Merchants in the Ming Dynasty." This topic was chosen after reading collections of Ming and Qing scholars and being influenced by Professor Fu Yiling's "Merchants and Commercial Capital in the Ming and Qing Periods." Soon after joining the institute, Deputy Group Leader Wang Yuquan asked to review my thesis and suggested submitting it to Group Leader Bai Shouyi for approval. After reading it, Bai Shouyi had a conversation with me, commenting on my essay and saying, "It's a bit raw." He asked me to revise it within six months. I understood what Bai Shouyi meant—he believed my writing was naive and superficial, using gentle language to protect the self-esteem and enthusiasm of young scholars. However, not long after, I was assigned to assist Professor Xie Guozheng in compiling the chronology of major events in the "General History of China," and later to design the general history exhibition at the new Chinese History Museum. My graduation thesis was set aside, and over forty years later, it had become incomplete. In the thesis, I had attempted an economic analysis of merchant capital organization, utilization, and the activities of supervisory merchants, but the analysis and arguments were insufficient. Even if it were complete, it would not have been suitable for inclusion in the collection. After entering the workforce, my personality in research gradually emerged. The research group assigned me to study Qing history, but within that scope, I was only interested in the progress of economic and intellectual history research unless specifically tasked—I did not take the initiative to explore these areas. Once I had entered the field of history, I gradually realized the incompleteness, inaccuracy, and uncertainty of historical materials, which weakened the foundation of my analysis and arguments. In the discussion on the division of ancient Chinese history, the phrase "Rain falls on my public fields, and it also falls on my private fields" from the "Book of Songs" was interpreted by some as the late stage of primitive communism, by others as the slave society, and by still others as the feudal society. This deeply impressed upon me the danger of subjectivism in history due to insufficient historical evidence. Therefore, I grew increasingly fond of topics that offered deeper and more recent insights into historical facts, often using small-scale textual research to analyze historical materials and facts. In the early 1960s, for example, my research on the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom followed this approach. Most of the essays in this collection reflect this tendency. This is only the beginning of historical research, not the entirety, nor the highest level. The textual research of historical materials and facts cannot replace the analysis of the essence of historical events and the exploration of their development patterns. But if even the starting point is shaky, how can there be confident progress afterward? Based on this understanding, I also strive to move forward steadily after taking the first step, doing my best for scientific analysis and generalization. This can be seen from the relevant articles as well. Among the fifty-seven articles, "In Memory of Shang Hongkui" was co-authored with my colleague and classmate Guo Songyi, and I would like to specially note this. These fifty-seven articles are not the entirety of my works over the past two decades. Some collaborative articles were not included. In the 1960s, a text on high-interest loans in the Qing Dynasty's Qufu Kong Family was submitted to a major newspaper, but when published, even the title was changed to a strikingly promotional phrase. Other articles like "The Revival of the Ming Dynasty After the Battle of Shanhai Pass" were excerpted from monographs and are not included. Some prefaces and postfaces written for Qing historical materials or monographs are also excluded. In fact, the chapters, sections, and articles I contributed to in some monographs are not only integral parts of those works but also relatively independent, most of which could be treated as separate essays, but I have chosen to exclude them. The included articles are generally kept in their original form, with some minor revisions. After completing "Reflections on 'Liu Shiyi's Biography'," the Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou was holding an international academic conference in memory of Professor Chen Yinque. Since they invited me, I agreed to include my short essay in the conference proceedings, even though I did not attend the conference. At the time, I was a member of the Ming-Qing History Study Group's delegation to Japan, and before departing, I hastily wrote "Reflections on 'Liu Shiyi's Biography'" and asked my wife to correct it. Due to the urgency, I made no revisions before submitting it, and the writing was clumsy. I have made a few changes since then, including correcting a geographical error. "Several Issues Regarding Wei Gengtong's Case" and "Huang Yuqi's Revival of the Ming Dynasty and the Huang Yuqi Case" each had one minor deletion by the editor, which disrupted the flow of the text. I have restored the original versions in this edition. "The Border Drama of the Ming and Qing Dynasties" and "A Study of Su Kunsheng, a National Minority Artist" were revised and supplemented based on my ongoing research. Textual research is viewed differently by scholars—some praise it, some consider it ordinary, and some even denigrate it. However, regardless of their views on textual research or their beliefs about its role and status in history, scholars cannot deny that it is a difficult task. To investigate any issue, the connections between people and events are often complex and intricate, making it challenging to clarify them. A single misstep can lead to a complete failure. The late scholar Chen Ruheng once asked me in the 1980s whether I believed the findings of Meng Shen's (Meng Xinshi) three major unresolved cases were entirely accurate. Meng Shen had conducted many textual researches, and I had also discovered several errors in his conclusions, so I naturally could not fully trust them. My own textual research has also had its share of oversights. In the article "The Date of Composition and Artistic Value of 'Shengxiao Jian'," the date Ied may be delayed. It is said that "Shengxiao Jian" was completed in the seventh year of Shunzhi (1650), leading to great trouble for the painter Chen Hongshu. However, whether the existing "Shengxiao Jian" has additions or deletions compared to the edition published in the seventh year of Shunzhi remains a question, so I still retain this article for further research by more knowledgeable scholars. Alternatively, it reflects the incompleteness of my work and serves as an important lesson. In one of my longer essays, "The Court Officials During Shi Kefa's Command in Yangzhou," I discovered new historical materials and errors in the original text after its publication. I wrote a follow-up article, "Corrections," but this long essay could not be fixed with minor adjustments. It should have been rewritten, but I currently lack the capacity to undertake such a large project, so I have only made key corrections in "Further Corrections," which is quite. The short essay "On Wang Zijia" was written while I was preparing to write the biography of Wang Jia. It also corrected an important error in Meng Xinshi's "A Study of Wang Zijia." However, I later realized that Wang Zijia's early history was actually much more complex than what I had researched and described, but further research would be time-consuming, and I currently lack the capacity to pursue it. The difficulties I have encountered all demonstrate that textual research is not an easy or readily attainable task. It is part of historical science, and the starting point of science is the entrance to hell—it must not be taken lightly. I prefer to read or review the historical works of others, with a focus on Qing history. This may take up a lot of research time, but it is an important form of learning, gradually familiarizing myself with the chain of Qing history research and mastering a standard, improving my ability to recognize and judge. One should not be arrogant or overconfident, as this is actually shallow. Placing oneself in the chain of the entire development of Qing history research makes one realize how small one is—just a drop of water in the long river of history. One should also not be self-deprecating; self-preservation begins with self-confidence. People have different abilities, but through hard work, they can always achieve something, progress, and create. Placing oneself in the chain of Qing history research makes this clearer. I have worked for over forty years, always maintaining this attitude, regardless of the environment's warmth or cold, or whether people praise or criticize me, I remain neither humble nor arrogant, unflappable in success or failure. Now, compiling "Wukuzhai Qingshigao," I have reread my own articles systematically andly, and I feel that there is no reason to be complacent, nor to feel ashamed or discouraged. "Wukuzhai Qingshigao" seems to bring greater peace to my old age. Perhaps this is an unexpected reward? After retirement, one of my major projects was participating in the compilation and publication of the "Collected Works of Forbidden Books from the Siku Quanshu." The editor-in-chief of the "Collected Works of Forbidden Books from the Siku Quanshu" was the respected predecessor scholar Wang Zhonghan, and the creative design, groundwork, and overall leadership were led by Zhu Xian. Other collaborators included Zhao Fang and others. Wang Zhonghan invited me to be his assistant, serving as deputy editor-in-chief and academic director of the working committee. Wang, Zhu, Zhao, and others gave me a stage to showcase my abilities, but I hesitated and was afraid of the task, saying, "I have never done ancient book compilation—I can't do it!" Wang Zhonghan seemed not to be joking but was serious, saying, "You have to agree, whether you like it or not." I had no choice but to comply, as if I were being pulled onto a horse by Wang Zhonghan. After participating in this work, I found that I could not only adapt but also had a strong interest, able to release and develop my potential. The environment was excellent, and I received complete trust and respect, with harmonious and even close relationships. Together, we compiled four hundred volumes, approximately half a million pages of ancient books, and three hundred and ten volumes have been published, with the remaining volumes expected to be completed within the year. This is an extraordinary achievement. Under the current conditions, it is an effort to make some compensation and rescue for the ancient books destroyed by Qianlong during the compilation of the "Siku Quanshu"—it holds great historical significance. I feel that I have made my contribution in this work and am not living in vain. If one wants to achieve something, in addition to their own talent, they also need the recognition of others and a suitable environment. After retirement, I had the honor of joining this working collective led by Wang Zhonghan. I have included several related articles in this collection, truly with the intention of recording and commemorating this personal experience. Scholars in academic pursuits all hope to have fruitful achievements. I also believe that this modest collection of essays should only encourage me to continue forward and harvest new fruits. But now I am an octogenarian. The late scholar Yang Xiangkui once said that his main works were all written after the age of seventy. This is indeed the case. My health is far from that of Yang Xiangkui, and I am plagued by illnesses, so I dare not have any lofty hopes. I can only say that as long as I can still hold a pen and write, I will not give up.