Songxue Zhai Collection, Wen'an Collection (Category 58 - Collections)

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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 ordered 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 the Yiwen Leiju (Comprehensive Collection of Arts and Literature) and the Bitaoshuchao (Northern Pavilion Book Collection). In the Song Dynasty, there were the Taiping Yujie (Imperial Encyclopedia of the Great Peace) and the Cufuyuanquanshu (Comprehensive Library of the Origin of Offices). Especially noteworthy is the Yongle Dadian (Yongle Encyclopedia) compiled during the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty, which consisted of 22,937 volumes and included over 7,800 types of books, truly a monumental work. During the Kangxi and Yongzheng reigns of the Qing Dynasty, the Qing court compiled the Jin Gu Tu Shu Ji Cheng (Comprehensive Collection of Ancient and Modern Books), totaling 10,000 volumes.
By the Qianlong era, Zhu Yun, the Academician of Anhui, 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 (private sector) and the establishment of specialized institutions to collate and edit the Yongle Dadian held in the Hanlin Academy. As a result, 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 and collected a total of 12,237 types of books. Next came the organization and collation of the books. The Siku Quanshu scholars reviewed the imperial collection and the books gathered from various regions, proposing specific recommendations for copying, printing, or preserving them. Books recommended for copying or printing were considered qualified works and were included in the Siku Quanshu, while those recommended for preservation were not included in the Siku Quanshu itself but were listed in the Siku Quanshu Zongmu (General Catalogue of the Siku Quanshu).
The Siku Quanshu is divided into the four traditional categories of classics (jing), history (shi), philosophy (zi), and belles-lettres (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 research on ancient Chinese history and thought culture, have undeniable positive significance. At the same time, since the Siku Quanshu Huiyao (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 treasure for libraries of all sizes and personal collections.