Mr. Zhou Shaoliang was delighted to hear about the collection of essays celebrating his ninetieth birthday.

Author: Zhou Shaoliang
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1997-03-01
Features: Excerpt: On the Eight Treatises of Shen Yue's History of the Southern Dynasties Su Jinren In the long river of history, the Twenty-Five Histories is an important historical record of China's feudal dynasties. Among them, Shen Yue's History of the Southern Dynasties, comprising one hundred volumes, though a specialized record of the Liu Southern Dynasty, holds significant importance during the period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties. It not only documents the political, economic, military, and cultural achievements of the Liu dynasty's 60-year rule (420–479) but also traces the institutions and systems of the Wei and Jin periods, thereby filling the gaps in the historical record of that era and ensuring continuity in documentation. This is why the Eight Treatises of the History of the Southern Dynasties are highly valued by later generations.
1. The Date of Completion of the Eight Treatises
The compilation of the History of the Southern Dynasties began nine years after the fall of the Liu Southern Dynasty, specifically in the spring of Emperor Wu of Qi's Yongming 5th year (487). The author, Shen Yue, continued the work based on the national history compiled by He Chengtian, Shan Qianzhi, Su Baosheng, Xu Ai, and others, supplementing the records from the Yongming period of the former emperor (465) to the end of the Shengming period of the last emperor (479). He completed ten volumes of the chronicles and sixty volumes of biographies, submitting them to the court. This 70-volume work was able to be completed within more than a year the following March, as much of the material had already been drafted by predecessors. As for the 30-volume Eight Treatises, Shen Yue stated in the Preface (Volume 100 of the book): "The treatises I compiled must be completed and submitted together." This indicates that the treatises were written after the completion of the chronicles and biographies. However, the exact date of their completion and compilation into a single book is not recorded in history.
In the Treatise on Auspicious Signs, Volume 1, it is mentioned: "In the third month of the third year of Emperor Xuan of the Han dynasty, a divine bird gathered at the eastern gate of the Changle Palace" (Page 795 of the Zhonghua Press edition; all page references below use this edition). According to the Annals of Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty, "divine bird" was originally written as "luan bird," but it was changed to "divine" to avoid the taboo name of Emperor Ming of Qi, Xiao Lun (494–498).
Additionally, in the Treatise on Rites, Volume 2, there is a passage by He Chengtian from the Xianhe 5th year of Emperor Cheng of Jin (330): "The ancient kings followed the times in reading and issuing orders" (Page 384 in the Compendium of History; Volume 30 of the Treatise on Rites refers to it as "reading and issuing orders in accordance with the times"). In the Treatise on Music, Volume 4, Fu Xuan's Jin Trumpet and Song is titled Following the Way of Heaven in the Collection of Music Bureau Poems, Volume 19, while in the Treatise on Auspicious Signs, Volume 2, the entries on "mushroom grass" and "divine cauldron" are both dated to the second year of Shengming under Emperor Xiao Cong of Liang. The character "Cong" was changed to avoid the taboo name of Emperor Wu of Liang's father, Xiao Shun.
In the Treatise on Music, Volume 4, there is a line in Fu Xuan's Jin Dance and Song titled Essence and Subtlety: "Zou Xian was imprisoned in the market of Yan" (Page 53 in the Collection of Music Bureau Poems), while in the Treatise on Music, Volume 5, it is written as "Zou Yan." The character "Xian" was changed to avoid the taboo name of Xiao Yan, Emperor Wu of Liang. These examples show that such treatises were gradually completed during the Tianjian era, about ten years after the first 70 volumes, with the dynasty having changed from Qi to Liang.
2. The Inheritance of He Chengtian and Xu Ai's National History
Before Shen Yue, He Chengtian was appointed as "Assistant to the Director of the Imperial Academy and Compiler of the National History" in the 16th year of the Yuange era (439) (History of the Southern Dynasties, Volume 64). The History of the Southern Dynasties, Volume 11, also states: "During the Yuange era, Emperor Donghai He Chengtian was commissioned to compile the History of the Southern Dynasties, including fifteen treatises to continue the Treatise on the Han Dynasty by Ma Biao." Thus, He's work included fifteen treatises. Shen Yue further noted in his Memorial on the Submission of the History of the Southern Dynasties: "Among the treatises I compiled, only the Treatise on Astronomy and the Treatise on Calendar were written by myself; the rest were entrusted to Shan Qianzhi, the Court Gentleman" (See Preface, Volume 100). Therefore, He himself wrote the Treatise on Astronomy and the Treatise on Calendar, as he was an expert in these fields. The other thirteen treatises were entirely the work of Shan Qianzhi.
According to Ma Biao's Continuation of the Treatise on the Han Dynasty, there were treatises on Calendar, Rites, Sacrifices, Astronomy, Five Elements, States and Kingdoms, Officials, and Attire. He's work must have included these same sections. This is reflected in Shen Yue's History of the Southern Dynasties. For example:
- In the Treatise on Calendar, Volume 2: He Chengtian states, "If one does not understand the art of calendrical calculations, even the most knowledgeable person cannot save it from being flawed" (Page 231).
- In the Treatise on Rites, Volume 3: He Chengtian states, "According to the records, Sun Quan established his reign to follow the heavens, but the sacrifices were incomplete. This was not correct. In his later years, although he held a southern sacrifice, there was no northern sacrifice" (Page 241).
- In the Treatise on Music, Volume 1: He Chengtian states, "It is widely believed that the Wu court had no court music. According to the records, Sun Hao received his father's funeral at Mingling, where entertainers danced day and night, so it is clear that there was no music with bells and drums" (Page 541).
- In the Treatise on Astronomy, Volume 1: He Chengtian, as the Imperial Censor, discusses the celestial globe: "After carefully reviewing previous accounts and observing the celestial instrument, I have come to understand that the sky is perfectly round, with water below it" (Page 677).
- In the Treatise on States and Kingdoms, Volume 1: He Chengtian, as the magistrate of Shining, states, "In the late Han dynasty, Shangyu was separated to establish Shangyu" (Page 1031).
- In the Treatise on Officials, Volume 1: He Chengtian states, "There were four Zhonglangjiangs, all established during the later Han dynasty" (Page 1226).