Ri Jiang Chunqiu Jieyi (Jing Bu - 72)

Author: Qu Lina and others
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-05-01
Features: In the 37th year of the Qianlong reign (1772), Emperor Qianlong Hongli issued an edict to establish the Siku Quanshu (Complete Collection of the Four Treasuries) Academy. The following year, he decreed the compilation of the "Siku Quanshu." Since the Tang and Song dynasties, successive dynasties had formed the tradition of collecting and compiling classics. During the Tang Dynasty, there were works such as "Yiwen Lüju" (Compendium of Arts and Literature) and "Beitang Shuchao" (Beitang Book). In the Song Dynasty, there were "Taiping Yujie" (Imperial Encyclopaedia of the Great Peace) and "Cufu Yuanquanshu" (Comprehensive Library of the Imperial Secretariat). Especially during the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty, the "Yongle Dadian" (Yongle Encyclopedia) was compiled, consisting of 22,937 volumes, including over 7,800 types of books, making it a monumental work. During the Kangxi and Yongzheng reigns of the Qing Dynasty, the Qing court compiled the "Gujin Tushu Jicheng" (Comprehensive Library of the Past and Present) with 10,000 volumes.
By the Qianlong era, Zhu Yun, the Anhui Provincial Scholar, believed that the "Yongle Dadian" did not fully encompass all existing books. Therefore, he submitted a memorial recommending the widespread collection of lost books from the public, while also proposing the establishment of a dedicated institution to collate and edit the "Yongle Dadian" held in the Hanlin Academy. Thus, Emperor Qianlong issued an edict to establish the Siku Quanshu Academy, appointing over 160 renowned scholars such as Ji Yun to begin compiling the "Siku Quanshu."
The compilation of the "Siku Quanshu" began with a nationwide collection of books. From the 37th year of the Qianlong reign when the academy was established, to the 43rd year, it lasted seven years, collecting a total of 12,237 types of books. Next came the organization and collation of the books, where the Siku Quanshu scholars reviewed the imperial library collections and the books collected from various regions, proposing specific recommendations for copying, engraving, or preserving them. The books recommended for copying or engraving were considered qualified works and were included in the "Siku Quanshu," while those recommended for preservation were not included in the "Siku Quanshu" but were listed in the "Siku Quanshu Zongmu" (General Catalogue of the Siku Quanshu).
The "Siku Quanshu" is divided into the four categories of Confucian classics (Jing), history (Shi), philosophy (Zi), and literature (Ji), containing 3,457 types of books totaling 79,070 volumes, bound into over 36,000 copies and 6,752 cases. It became the most voluminous work in Chinese history. The publication and distribution of this book, whether for the study and organization of historical documents or for the research of ancient Chinese history and thought culture, have undeniable positive significance. At the same time, since the "Siku Quanshu Huayao" (Essentials of the Siku Quanshu) was already a collection of the finest works, supplemented by modern printing technology, this series of books naturally deserves to be a treasured collection in libraries of all sizes and for personal collections.