Old Classics Collected, Notes from a Comfortable and Peaceful Room

Author: Zhu Pengshou (Qing Dynasty), annotated by He Shuangsheng
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-03-01
Features: Old Classics Fully Documented and Notes from Anle Kangping Studio are two valuable, reference-like Qing Dynasty historical notes written by the modern author Zhu Pengshou. They will be of considerable help to lovers of literature and history, especially to researchers of Qing Dynasty history. Old Classics Fully Documented was praised by contemporaries as "meticulously investigating and comprehensively examining the customs and figures of the former dynasty, providing a thorough and original account, with extensive knowledge. All records are both comprehensive and accurate, and its format is similar to Yanzhou Bieji, though even more precise" (as seen in Liu Chenggan's preface). This is well-founded. For example, the entry "Number of Zhuangyuan in Each Province" records the names, origins, and examination ranks of 112 Zhuangyuan from the Shunzhi era (1646) to the Guangxu era (1904) over more than two centuries, which can be cross-referenced with records such as the Qing Dynasty Imperial Examination Inscription Stele and the Imperial Selection Records. The entry "Zhejiang Dingjia Examination" focuses on the names and origins of Zhejiang-native Zhuangyuan, Bangyan, and Tanhua over approximately 250 years from the Shunzhi era (1649) to the Guangxu era (1898). The entry "Military Dingjia Examination" records the names and origins of military Zhuangjia from the Shunzhi era to the Guangxu era, filling the gap left by the lack of military records in the Imperial Examination Inscription Stele. Similarly, the author imitates the style of Retirement Notes to record Zhejiang natives who received posthumous titles, categorizing them by Hangzhou, Huzhou, Ningbo, Shaoxing, Taizhou, Quzhou, Yanzhou, and Chuzhou in the entry "Zhejiang Natives Who Received Posthumous Titles," listing their names, county origins, official positions, posthumous titles, and the years they received them. This can be cross-referenced with the entry "Family Members Who Received Posthumous Titles" to serve as a genealogical record. Other entries like "Noble Families" fall into this category. Notes from Anle Kangping Studio, in six volumes, was completed in the Republic of China in the year Jimao (1939) and was published in print in 1940, predating Old Classics Fully Documented. This book lists entries by topic without titles. According to the author, in addition to writing Shouxinqi Congji, he "recorded events as they occurred, discussing recent matters, tracing old tales, describing family traditions, or expressing personal views, writing freely when inspired, though the content is a mix of refined and popular styles, lacking a formal structure. Yet, there are scattered annotations and insights, and he also recorded his own life experiences and traces, much like the notes of Yuanyang Mountain Person. Therefore, he had his descendants compile them into volumes and named the book Notes from Anle Kangping Studio." The phrase "Anle Kangping" comes from a couplet granted to Zhu Pengshou by the Qing court on the last day of the Guangxu era (1913), and thus the studio and the book were named accordingly. Notes from Anle Kangping Studio covers a broader range of topics than Old Classics Fully Documented, including not only rituals and personnel but also poetry, phonetics, bibliography, ancient coins, and calligraphy. It holds certain reference value. For example, the entry on the posthumous titles of imperial princes and relatives from the Guangxu era to the Xuantong era in Volume 4 provides detailed records that can supplement the Imperial Dynasty Posthumous Title Table and other reference books. Volume 5 raises questions or corrects errors regarding the posthumous titles of some high-ranking officials that differ from those in Imperial Dynasty General Gazette, Qing Dynasty Historical Records, and Eight Banners General Gazette. Volume 2 also contains references to certain aspects of the Qing Dynasty examination system, such as the practice of stamping "supplementary" in red on the exam papers of candidates who took the supplementary imperial examinations, which were not included in the top ten presented papers. The author himself served as an examiner for the supplementary imperial examinations, and in Volume 3, he records the rules and procedures for the examination of the imperial examination censors (i.e., the term "turning tables"), which is quite valuable.