Chinese classical textual studies

Author: Zhang Sanxi
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-03-01
Features: A Textbook for Strengthening the Basic Education of Chinese Classical Documentary Studies in University Students, edited by Professor Zhang Sanxi and published by Central China Normal University Press, is a teaching material designed to promote the study of Chinese classical documentary studies among college students. The book progresses systematically, first explaining the origin, meaning, and function of the term "documentary studies" (), and then providing detailed chapters on the carriers, types, catalogs, editions, collation, authentication, compilation of lost texts, punctuation, annotation, retrieval, and the organization of unearthed documents of classical documents. Documentary studies are the foundation of the study of Chinese literature and history, and mastering them is the key to reading and organizing traditional classics and opening the cultural minds of ancient Chinese people. However, over the past four decades, due to the adjustment of departmental systems and other political reasons, documentary studies courses have been generally neglected at the undergraduate level in universities. In recent years, domestic universities have begun to re-emphasize this ancient discipline and have opened various documentary studies courses. However, so far, there have not been one or two undergraduate textbooks as unified and widely applicable as those in ancient Chinese and the history of Chinese literature. The A Textbook of Chinese Classical Documentary Studies published by Central China Normal University Press last year was born in this context. The book contains over 350,000 words, written by renowned experts and scholars in the field of documentary studies in China, invited by the editor-in-chief, Professor Zhang Sanxi. The book was completed through a combination of concentrated discussion and collaborative work, with the preface, introduction, and chapters written by the editor-in-chief. Compared to several domestic documentary studies works, this book has the following distinctive features.
1. Comprehensive yet Concise
With thousands of years of vast documentary heritage, it is not easy to distill a simple outline for studying ancient documents. In the 1930s, A General Introduction to Chinese Documentary Studies, the seminal work in Chinese documentary studies by Zheng Hesheng and Zheng Hechun, briefly introduced issues related to the review, teaching, translation, compilation, and printing of documents by listing historical facts and exemplary books. However, the discussion was inevitably brief, and the content lacked a cohesive structure. In the early 1980s, the renowned documentary scholar Zhang Shunxi published Chinese Documentary Studies in 1982, which systematically summarized the origins and development of Chinese documentary studies, presented original and insightful arguments, and provided rich and detailed content. It was an outstanding work in the field of documentary studies at the time and inspired many later scholars. However, Zhang’s book also had some omissions in its content organization. For example, in the section on "the basics of edition in the organization of ancient documents," it lacked an introduction to the types of ancient paper book bindings. Subsequently, numerous similar documentary studies works emerged, but each had its own content organization, some too brief, others too extensive, making them unsuitable as introductory texts for undergraduate students. In comparison, A Textbook of Chinese Classical Documentary Studies, edited by Professor Zhang Sanxi, demonstrates a balance of comprehensiveness and conciseness in its content organization. The book incorporates the strengths of many similar works that outline the development of Chinese documentary studies, with well-organized content that is both rich and not overly broad, profound yet not overly obscure, and clear yet not superficial. The ten chapters on the carriers, types, catalogs, editions, collation, authentication, compilation of lost texts, punctuation, annotation, retrieval, and organization of unearthed documents cover the main knowledge system of Chinese classical documentary studies. At the same time, it seeks "precision" and "simplicity" within "comprehensiveness," with some chapters being abandoned after initial drafting or collective discussion by the authors, such as the proposed chapters on "the preservation of classical documents" and "the use of local documents," which were ultimately removed after expert deliberation. The content has been condensed, making it better suited for beginners.
2. Focusing on the Times, with Fresh Insights
With the rapid development of academic studies, Chinese classical documentary studies have naturally been marked by the times, as vividly reflected in A Textbook of Chinese Classical Documentary Studies, edited by Professor Zhang Sanxi. In the chapter, "Carriers and Types of Classical Documents," the book provides a dedicated introduction to "electronic" as a new documentary carrier in the 20th century. To the best of my limited knowledge, this is the first time "electronic" carriers have been discussed in many documentary studies textbooks. The ninth chapter, "Retrieval of Classical Documents," also dedicates a section to "Retrieval and Utilization of Electronic Documents," featuring large-scale CD-ROM databases such as the electronic edition of The Complete Four Treasuries from the Wenyuan Pavilion, the electronic edition of The Four Treasuries Collected, the second edition of the Full-Text Retrieval System of Chinese Classics, and the Guoxue Treasure Classic v7.0, all of which are recent high-tech products developed by experts and scholars in recent years, greatly facilitating the retrieval and research of scholars. The book also introduces well-known ancient document retrieval websites on network databases, explaining not only the URLs but also how to search on these platforms. Readers who study these sections will be able to master electronic retrieval methods for searching ancient documents. Additionally, in the fifth chapter, "Authentication of Ancient Documents," the section on "The History of Authentication Activities" includes a new subsection on "The Development of Authentication Activities in the Contemporary Era." With the continuous excavation and organization of unearthed documents, scholars have begun to reassess some forged books, integrating them into the broader historical context and incorporating many new ideas from modern scholars.
3. Student-Centered, with Clear Explanations
As a university textbook, the book is designed to serve both teachers and students. In terms of its format, each chapter ends with thought-provoking questions, exercises, and further reading suggestions to provide targeted guidance for students' extracurricular learning. Whenever the book explains specialized knowledge related to ancient documents, it provides historical examples for reference, especially for basic knowledge, which is explained in detail with examples. For instance, when discussing the names and terms of ancient document annotations, the book cites 17 common types of annotations, such as transmission (), annotation (), interpretation (), explanation (), annotation (), record (), interpretation (), and explanation (), micro-commentary (), hidden meaning (), sentence analysis (), collected explanation (), commentary (), explanation (), and justice (), phonetic meaning (), and direct explanation (). Each type is followed by examples of books for reference, and the book even reproduces the first chapter of the Book of Songs·Qin Feng·Jianxia from The Thirteen Classics with Annotations to illustrate the forms of preface, main text, transmission, annotation, and explanation. Such detailed examples are rarely seen in other similar works. In terms of language, the authors have drawn inspiration from each other, adopting a straightforward, stable, and accessible style, avoiding obscure or overly classical language and excessive use of archaic particles. The narrative is rich in emotion, often using "we" and metaphors, creating a warm and approachable tone.
The significance of Chinese classical documentary studies is becoming increasingly recognized, and with the continuous establishment of documentary studies courses in universities, it is believed that more specialized textbooks will emerge in the future. However, the A Textbook of Chinese Classical Documentary Studies published by Central China Normal University undoubtedly plays a distinctive role in benefiting both teachers and students. It is reported that within less than a year of publication, the book has been adopted by more than ten well-known universities and has received widespread praise. It has also been designated as a reference book for the postgraduate entrance examinations in classical documentary studies at Northwest University and South China Normal University this year. The value of this book is thus undeniable.
Of course, the textbook is not without room for improvement. Although the overall collation is very meticulous, there are still a few minor textual errors. As a documentary studies textbook, we should maintain strict standards. Some of the exercises could also be adjusted in terms of difficulty levels. We believe that if the book is revised for a future edition, it will become even more refined.