National History Inscription Draft

Author: Wang Xiantang
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-05-01
Features: Wang Xiantang (1896–1960) was a renowned epigrapher and paleographer, celebrated alongside figures like Tang Lan and Guo Moruo. During his tenure as Director of the Shandong Provincial Library in the 1940s and later as head of the Shandong Provincial Cultural Relics Management Committee, he made significant contributions to the collection, preservation, and management of precious cultural relics and bibliographic materials in Shandong, as well as to the early development of field archaeology in the region. Academically, he excelled in epigraphy, bibliography, and cataloging, with rigorous scholarship and numerous writings. He also demonstrated profound expertise in poetry, calligraphy, and painting. His published works, such as A Comprehensive Study of Ancient Chinese Currency, Fire and Lanterns in Ancient Characters, and Seal Impressions of Linzi, are well-known, but the long-renowned Draft of the Historical Epigraphical Records of the State has never been published, and its manuscript remains missing, leaving a gap in academic circles. Later, thanks to information provided by the Nanjing Second Archives, his family finally located this dusty, 60-year-old handwritten manuscript in the Nanjing Second Archives. When Wang Xiantang compiled this book, he exhaustively searched for all major epigraphic and archaeological records from the first half of the 20th century, including musical instruments, wine vessels, water vessels, food vessels, and miscellaneous artifacts, as well as bronze mirrors, ancient seals, and Buddhist statues, covering nearly every category rarely found in typical cataloging works. The time span of the recorded artifacts ranges from the Shang Dynasty to the Northern and Southern Dynasties, an unprecedented breadth for works of this kind. Thus, the scope of this book remains remarkably vast, whether in the era it was compiled or today in the 21st century. The annotations and interpretations in Draft of the Historical Epigraphical Records of the State once again demonstrate Wang Xiantang’s meticulous scholarly approach. They reflect the academic standards of half a century ago while also serving as a model for contemporary research and an important reference for studies in related fields. The newly published Draft of the Historical Epigraphical Records of the State (Qingdao Publishing House) comprises 20 volumes, compiled in 1943. From its preface, we learn that the original plan divided the work into four categories: gold, stone, bone and jade, and pottery and wood. The gold category was nearly completed, and the recorded artifacts were limited to those unearthed during the Republican era or documented since the early Republic. Inscribed artifacts were prioritized, though some without inscriptions but with significant iconographic or historical value were occasionally included. This differs from typical epigraphical compilations, which require cross-referencing earlier works (up to the Qing Dynasty) to exclude previously documented artifacts, aiming to more clearly reflect archaeological achievements since the early Republic. This holds great significance in the development of Chinese epigraphical and archaeological studies. Statistics show that the book records 4,854 artifacts, citing over 70 reference works. The time span covers the Shang, Zhou, Qin, and Han dynasties, as well as the Wei, Jin periods. The artifact types include musical instruments, wine vessels, water vessels, food vessels, cooking utensils, weapons, tools, vehicle components, measuring instruments, and other sharp implements, even including jade seals and currency, which are often compiled in separate works. The inscriptions recorded in the book have been examined and interpreted by modern scholars, with some accepted as correct or revised over time. Uninterpreted characters retain their original forms. The richness of its content is exceptional. The depth of Draft of the Historical Epigraphical Records of the State is further demonstrated in two aspects: 1) All recorded artifacts were carefully authenticated by the author. As the author noted in the preface, "Some artifacts listed in other works fall within this book’s scope but are excluded here, as they are forgeries." Among them, 23 artifacts were marked with a marginal note "suspicious," indicating their ambiguous authenticity but still deemed worthy of inclusion, at least not outright fakes. This offers valuable insights for artifact authentication. In some cases, the author questioned only the inscriptions, labeling them "suspected forgeries," providing crucial evidence for identifying the authenticity of bronze inscriptions. 2) The author’s rigorous and meticulous approach is evident in textual interpretation. Uncertain characters are preserved in their original forms, and incomplete characters are reconstructed with partial strokes, never guessed or arbitrarily interpreted. More importantly, detailed research is conducted on characters, which holds high academic value. Additionally, the author corrected certain omissions and errors in the field at the time. This 20-volume monumental work not only significantly advances the study of ancient Chinese characters but also deepens our understanding of Wang Xiantang’s masterful research on gold artifacts, further solidifying his place in the history of modern Chinese scholarship.