Taihu Notes

Author: Jin Youli / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1998-12-01
Features: The vast Taihu Lake, with white waves rising like smoke, stretches for thirty-six thousand qing in width, its silver waves and snow-like ripples merging with the sky. The lake and mountains rise and fall, appearing and disappearing among the waves. There are seventy-two peaks arranged like arches, standing, or dancing. The lake's scenery is magnificent and ever-changing, renowned for its beauty in the land of Shu, with countless marvels. It is indeed a famous scenic area on the land of the motherland, a paradise on earth. Taihu Preliminary Records is a specialized local history of Taihu compiled by Jin Youli during the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty. It records the lakeside entrances, lakeshore hills, and the lakeshore areas of three prefectures and ten counties around Taihu at that time, namely Zhenze, Wujiang, Wuxian, and Changzhou in Suzhou, Jiangsu; Wuxi, Yanghu, Yixing, and Jingxi in Changzhou, Jiangsu; and Changxing and Wucheng in Huzhou, Zhejiang. The book describes the lakeside springs, ports, and waterways, as well as the villages, towns, temples, shrines, mansions, gardens, street signs, tombs, scenic spots, local customs, and local specialties. It also records the historical officials, granaries, military training grounds, defense installations, major battles, land surveys, origins of place names, examinations, elections, literary works, famous women, and extraordinary events. Additionally, one-fourth of the book is dedicated to selecting poems, essays, and prose about Taihu from ancient times, as well as renowned verses and phrases. The book provides comprehensive records from historical evolution, natural geography, political and military aspects, and economic and cultural perspectives, making it a true encyclopedic work on Taihu. This renders the book not only valuable for historical and geographical data but also rich in cultural and literary appreciation.
Jin Youli, styled Yuxiang, was a native of Wu County, Suzhou, during the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty and a local scholar. He lived in the East Mountain area of Taihu, where his family was known for its diligence and integrity. The four brothers were deeply devoted to mutual love, earning praise for their family's atmosphere, likened to that of the former Han dynasty's Wanshi Jun. Jin Youli compiled Taihu Preliminary Records, with the help of his brothers Jin Youguan, Jin Youye, and Jin Youfen in reviewing and editing, a story still celebrated today.
East Mountain in Taihu is secluded and tranquil, with scenery that is pleasing to the eye. In the early Qing Dynasty, renowned scholars such as Xu Ganxue, Yan Ruogu, and Gu Zuyu once rented homes here, withdrawing from worldly distractions to focus on writing, producing enduring works such as Draft of the Ming History, General Atlas of the Great Qing Dynasty, Commentary on the Classic of Documents, and Comprehensive Atlas of Historical Geography. The legacy of these predecessors deeply influenced Jin Youli's academic path and thought.
Born during the prosperous Qianlong era, a time of flourishing scholarship and literary output, Jin Youli inherited the pragmatic learning style of the early Qing dynasty master Gu Yanwu. He studied under the geographer Wu Zeng, was diligent and eager to learn, and was well-known for his literary talent, particularly in pragmatic studies. Encouraged and guided by Wu Zeng, Jin Youli chose Taihu as his research topic, not bound by the views of predecessors but focused on collecting new materials. He personally traveled to every location, verifying facts with his own eyes. "Thus, he packed his belongings and provisions, traveled extensively across the lake and mountains, and even reached the streams and canals outside the lake, meticulously investigating their origins and challenges. He also researched the past to understand the present, striving to detail the events accurately."
It was through this arduous investigation and compilation that Jin Youli left behind the invaluable local history Taihu Preliminary Records for future generations.