HuiZhou Clan Society

Author: Tang Lifeng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: The Complete Collection of Huizhou Culture consists of 20 monographs and over 1,000 color and black-and-white photographs (illustrations), with a total word count exceeding 6 million. It is the largest academic work published in Anhui Province since the founding of the People's Republic of China and serves as an encyclopedic summary and showcase of Huizhou culture and the lives of its inhabitants. The book focuses on the most distinctive cultural phenomena within the Huizhou cultural system, which have a significant impact both nationally and internationally, categorizing them into 20 sub-topics, each forming a separate research monograph. The titles of these volumes are: The Land System of Huizhou, The Huizhou Merchants, The Clan Society of Huizhou, Xin'an Neo-Confucianism, Huizhou Education, Huizhou Architecture, Huizhou Villages, Huizhou Science and Technology, Huizhou Folk Customs, Huizhou Seal Engraving, Huizhou Dialects, Huizhou Woodblock Prints, Huizhou Neo-Confucian Scholarship, Xin'an Painting School, Huizhou Archival Documents, Huizhou Book Publishing, Xin'an Medicine, Huizhou Opera, Huizhou Craftsmanship, and Huizhou Cuisine.
The Complete Collection explores various Huizhou cultural phenomena from the perspective of historical and cultural studies, comprehensively and systematically examining their relationships with Huizhou's natural geography, socio-economy, politics, and the lives of its inhabitants. It situates Huizhou culture within the broader context of national and even global culture, and from the historical vantage point of the turn of the century, it systematically reviews and summarizes the research achievements of domestic and international academia on Huizhou culture since the early 20th century. Building on this foundation, it conducts higher-level rational reflection and academic discussion. Overall, The Complete Collection represents the largest original academic work published in Anhui Province since the founding of the People's Republic of China and is the most comprehensive, systematic, and authoritative academic work on Huizhou culture to date. The publication of The Complete Collection is a significant event in the development of local cultural construction and humanities and social sciences research in our province.
A review of the 20 volumes of The Complete Collection reveals four fundamental characteristics:
1. Contemporaneity: The Complete Collection is the first work to study Huizhou cultural phenomena from a broad, multi-layered perspective, covering nearly all aspects of Huizhou culture. It reflects the latest academic achievements, embodies the characteristics of Huizhou studies in the new era, and represents the academic standards of the time.
2. Authority: The authors of each volume are renowned experts currently active in the field of Huizhou studies in China, serving as academic leaders in their respective disciplines. They have produced substantial research and are highly regarded in academia, essentially embodying the academic standards of Huizhou studies in China. It is fair to say that the academic authority of The Complete Collection is undeniable.
3. Systematicity: The 20 monographs in The Complete Collection form an organic whole while remaining independently published volumes. They take into account both the holism and universality of Huizhou culture and its typicality and internal logic, making it the most systematic academic work on Huizhou studies to date.
4. Innovation: The Complete Collection conducts in-depth research on the formation, evolution, and interactive relationships among various Huizhou cultural phenomena. Many of the materials and theories presented in the book are published for the first time, and its methodologies are at the forefront of the discipline. Whether in terms of data, perspectives, or methods, the book demonstrates high originality.