History of Chinese Local Gazetteers

Author: Chen Guangyi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-09-01
Features: Local chronicles are a valuable cultural heritage of China, occupying a significant proportion in ancient texts. To date, there are approximately 10,000 local chronicles in circulation. These chronicles not only reflect the social realities of various eras, regions, and ethnic groups in China but also record the distribution of climate, celestial phenomena, landforms, mountains and rivers, towns and cities, distances, mineral resources, flora, and fauna in different areas. We should apply Marxist viewpoints to organize and study this cultural heritage, discarding its dross and preserving its essence, so that it may serve the great socialist construction and the realization of the country's four modernizations. The task of organizing old local chronicles is important and also a long-term endeavor. Currently, there is a surge in compiling new local historical chronicles. In this context, organizing old chronicles to provide references for compiling new ones is particularly crucial. With a history of over two thousand years, the study of local chronicles is awaiting our exploration.