Shanghai Township Old Records 4 (Zhēnrú Lǐ Zhì, Zhēnrú Lǐ Zhì, Zhēnrú Zhì, Investigation and Statistical Reports of Zhēnrú District, Shanghai Special City)

Author: Lu Li
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: In the rich historical archives of Jiangnan local chronicles, the small local chronicles of Shanghai's towns and villages hold significant importance. Preliminary statistics show that there are approximately 300 local chronicles compiled in Shanghai before the founding of the People's Republic of China, among which small chronicles such as baozhi (county chronicles), xiangzhi (township chronicles), zhenzhi (town chronicles), lizhi (village chronicles), and tuzhi (map chronicles) account for about half. These small chronicles are mainly distributed in counties such as Songjiang, Qingpu, Shanghai, Jiading, and Baoshan. They gather important historical materials from all aspects of the towns and villages, filled with local charm, and represent a highly valuable historical heritage. This article provides a brief analysis of the characteristics and value of Shanghai's small local chronicles.
Lu Li, styled Jiaren, was the grandson of Lu Shen, a Ming Dynasty Imperial Scholar. He moved with his father to Zhenru at a young age and became a student of Baoshan County. Respected for both his moral character and academic prowess, his writing was influenced by the Records of the Grand Historian and the Book of Han. Observing that Zhenru lacked a lizhi (village chronicle), he feared the loss of historical records. Therefore, starting from the 30th year of the Qianlong reign (1765), he extensively collected and interviewed sources, cross-referenced materials, and organized them into categories, compiling the book over six years. The manuscript underwent seven revisions and was completed in the 36th year of the Qianlong reign as the Zhenru Lizhi in four volumes and 27 chapters. Lu Xixiong wrote a preface for this chronicle, praising it as "concise yet historical rigor, meticulous in research, sufficient for the county's annals, and ensuring that the literature of this region would not be forgotten." During the compilation of the Baoshan County chronicle in the Guangxu reign, this work was used as a reference.