New An Literature (Full Three Volumes)

Author: (Ming) Cheng Minzheng
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-12-01
Features: This book consists of one hundred volumes, divided into two collections: Collection A () contains sixty volumes, specializing in the writings of local scholars from Huizhou Prefecture from the Han Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty; Collection B () includes forty volumes, covering the biographies of Huizhou scholars from other prefectures who were born in Huizhou or had significant contributions to the region. The entire collection contains 1,087 essays and 1,034 poems. Before the hundred volumes, there are two additional volumes titled 《New Anhui Scholarly Biographies》(《》), with the upper volume listing 326 famous Huizhou natives from various dynasties and the lower volume listing 114 scholars from other regions who served in or resided in Huizhou.
Cheng Minzheng, styled Keqin, was a native of Hongdun (now Tunxi) in Xiuying, Ming Dynasty, and was known as Cheng Hongdun by his contemporaries. From a young age, Cheng Minzheng was intelligent and eager to learn, earning the title of "child prodigy." In 1466 (the second year of the Chenghua era of the Ming Dynasty), he ranked second in the first class of the imperial examination and was appointed as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, eventually rising to the position of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites.
Cheng Minzheng was well-versed in literature and familiar with historical records of past dynasties. He participated in the compilation and correction of the official histories of the Ming emperors Yingzong and Xuanzong. As a Court Scholar, he explained the principles of classics and history in relation to practical matters, speaking frankly and diligently, earning the respect of the court and being called "Master" by the emperor. The records praised him as "a scholar of great erudition, unmatched in his time."
In literature, Cheng Minzheng was renowned alongside Li Dongyang, and his surviving works include 《Record of Song Survivors》(《》), 《Hongdun Collection》(《》), and 《Ming Literature Balance》(《》). Cheng Minzheng was deeply attached to his hometown and cared about local historical records. His compiled 《New Anhui Literary Records》(《》) holds significant reference value for studying the history of Huizhou.