Five Great Mountains Travel Notes · Guangzhi Yizhe

Author: Wang Shixing (Ming), edited by Zhou Zhenhe
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: Wang Shixing, styled Hengshu, styled Yuanbai Daoren, was a native of Linhai, Zhejiang. He was born in the 26th year of the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty (1547) and died in the 26th year of the Wanli era (1598). He had a fondness for traveling and, while still a scholar, had already visited the beautiful landscapes of Hangzhou and the Yuezhou region. In the 5th year of the Wanli era (1577), he passed the imperial examination and subsequently held official posts in Henan, Beijing, Sichuan, Guangxi, Yunnan, Shandong, and Nanjing. Except for Fujian, his footsteps covered all the two capitals and twelve provinces of the time. He wrote many excellent travel accounts and poems, with the continuation titled "Five Great Mountains Travel Notes." In his later years, he engaged in theoretical reflection on the places he had traveled and explored, writing two outstanding geographical works, "Broad Travel Records" and "Broad Travel Notes." The three aforementioned books reflect his geographical thoughts, achievements, and preserved valuable geographical materials, fully qualifying him to be ranked among the great geographers in Chinese history without any hesitation. Regrettably, he was overlooked for nearly four centuries, especially after the middle period of the Qing Dynasty, when he was almost unknown. The purpose of this collection is to draw attention not only to Wang Shixing as an individual but also to the group of geographers in the late Ming Dynasty and all geographers in Chinese history.