Bamboo Spectrum Detailed Records

Author: Li Kan (Yuan Dynasty)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: June 1, 2006
Features: Ancient bamboo texts often lack illustrations or lack detailed descriptions, while some focus solely on illustrations without descriptions. Li Kan's Detailed Bamboo Spectrum pioneered the tradition of combining both descriptions and illustrations, and its discussions are exceptionally thorough, making it a representative work in ancient bamboo literature. The book is divided into four sections: Painting Bamboo, Ink Bamboo, Bamboo Forms, and Bamboo Varieties, spanning seven volumes, with particular emphasis on the Bamboo Varieties section. It describes over three hundred species of bamboo in China, including rare varieties, providing detailed discussions on their morphology, characteristics, and artistic techniques. The author cites extensively, with many of the referenced ancient texts now lost, making it valuable for the study of classical literature.
The essence of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements is either clear or turbid. When a person is born, if they inherit the clear essence, they will be clear; if they inherit the turbid essence, they will be turbid. If one cannot be clear because of turbidity, or turbid because of clarity, can we say it is due to strict boundaries that limit them, or high gates that seal them off? It is natural that fragrant herbs and foul herbs, ice and fire, which oppose each other, cannot coexist.
Lǐ Zhòngbīn, the esteemed Lǐ of Jìqū, was a pure and upright figure in the world, naming his study "Xī" (Rest), finding worldly pleasures trivial, yet he particularly enjoyed ink bamboo. In his leisure time from reading, he often immersed himself in this pursuit. Over time, he mastered the secrets of ink bamboo that were not passed down by Wén Huáxiá. He once wrote a book discussing the techniques and faults of ink bamboo, cataloging all unusual names and bizarre forms of bamboo, tracing their origins. He also compiled every mention of bamboo in ancient and modern literature without omission. His dedication to this art was truly profound.
Bamboo is the purest substance in the world. Without the clear essence of Hàngxiè residing in the spleen and liver, how could one admire it so deeply, and how could it make the branches and leaves of wind and dew appear so ethereal and majestic, free of any worldly dust, as if the brush were dipped in ice and snow bowls? Moreover, the value of bamboo lies not only in its purity but also in its unchanging form through the four seasons, with an irreducible integrity. Lǐ once served as the Vice Minister of the Department of Rites, traveling thousands of miles north on a mission without failing his duty. His unwavering integrity was truly remarkable.
In the past, Bai Juyi compared bamboo to the virtuous, a saying widely regarded as profound. Lǐ truly embodies the virtue of bamboo without shame!
Ancient bamboo texts often lack illustrations or lack detailed descriptions, while some focus solely on illustrations without descriptions. Li Kan's Detailed Bamboo Spectrum pioneered the tradition of combining both descriptions and illustrations, and its discussions are exceptionally thorough, making it a representative work in ancient bamboo literature. The book is divided into four sections: Painting Bamboo, Ink Bamboo, Bamboo Forms, and Bamboo Varieties, spanning seven volumes, with particular emphasis on the Bamboo Varieties section. It describes over three hundred species of bamboo in China, including rare varieties, providing detailed discussions on their morphology, characteristics, and artistic techniques. The author cites extensively, with many of the referenced ancient texts now lost, making it valuable for the study of classical literature.