"Collected Elegies of Kuaiji" annotated and collated

Author: Zou Zhifang
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-01-01
Features: The Collected Works of Kuaiji consists of 20 volumes, compiled and edited by Song Dynasty's Kong Yanzhi in the fifth year of Emperor Shenzong (1072). It is the earliest extant literary anthology from Shaoxing. It selects 805 poems and essays from the 37th year of the third reign of Emperor Qin Shi Huang (210 BC) to the Xining era of the Song Dynasty. Organized by category, the first 15 volumes contain poems, while the last five volumes contain prose. It holds immense historical and literary value. The book has long been renowned for its depth and comprehensiveness. It not only preserves a large amount of local Shaoxing literature but also introduces many little-known authors of poems and essays. Moreover, it helps correct and verify many poems and essays from before the Xining era, aiding modern scholars in further exploring ancient literature. Therefore, it also holds research value in rectifying and restoring the original form. The annotated edition is based on The Collected Works of Kuaiji, preserved in the Huanhua Zongshu School of Shanyin and printed in the first year of the Daoguang reign (1811). The Siku Quanshu edition serves as the internal reference, while external references include Yan Kejun's Poetry of Pre-Qin, Han, Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, Dong Gao et al.'s Complete Tang Anthology, Lu Xinran's Collected Tang Essays, Peng Dingqiu et al.'s Complete Tang Poetry, and Fu Xuancong et al.'s Complete Song Poetry. For particularly difficult or obscure passages, other books were consulted. The annotated edition uses the Du Bingjie Huanhua Zongshu School edition as the base because this book has never been published before. The Siku Quanshu was compiled based on the old manuscript copy of Qi's Dansheng Tang, later transcribed by Shanyin Du Bingjie from Wenlan Pavilion and printed. Before printing, it had already been somewhat organized, making it particularly valuable.