Book Ship Ordinary Talk

Author: Dong Kang
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1998-03-01
Features: Dong Shoujing, the author, fled to Japan at the end of the fifteenth year and traveled between Kyoto and Tokyo. By the end of April in the sixteenth year, he returned to China. At that time, I was returning from America, and I also stayed in Japan for more than twenty days. The places Dong Shoujing visited, I have also traveled to many of them; the friends he met, I have also met many. But I did not keep a diary in Japan, so my impressions and thoughts from those more than twenty days have become blurred. He has left detailed records in these four volumes, not only leaving himself a permanent but also benefiting those who read this book greatly. The sinologists I met in Tokyo and Kyoto all praised Dong Shoujing's diligent and hard work. Now, reading these four volumes of diaries, I imagine the scene of this sixty-year-old scholar studying at his desk, and it makes me, a young person, feel ashamed and sweat. In his preface, Dong Shoujing has already mentioned that the main purpose of this book is three points: First, to seek ancient books. "Whenever I encounter old woodblock editions or rare copies, I record their formats and preserve their inscriptions. After seven calamities, I was able to see precious books and share them with my peers, which must have brought deep joy and emotion." Second, to collect and search for novels. Dong Shoujing has made great contributions to collecting folk literature in recent decades. In these four volumes, he records many old novels that circulated in Japan, allowing future researchers of Chinese literary history to know where the historical materials are located. Third, Dong Shoujing is a sentimental person, and his life has experienced several profound love stories. In his diary, he leaves behind many love poems and records several romantic dreams, "Spring silkworms sorting threads, only resting when dying; autumn crickets sing well, crying more at night," allowing us to roughly glimpse Dong Shoujing's personality and understand that he is not just a bookworm, not just a legalist, but a richly emotional old youth. Let's look at these three points first. The work of recording ancient books overseas, from Mr. Yang Shoujing to Dong Shoujing and Fu Yanshu's recent travel records, has been a blessing to scholars, and there is no need for me to praise it here. Dong Shoujing's diaries pay special attention to the history of Japanese book collections, such as the brief biography of Jinze, the detailed biography of Karyu Gyosai, the donation record of Saeki, the history of Zenshoji Sanzo, the detailed records of Koyasan, and the source table of the secret library collection. These can help us understand the history and spirit of the promotion of literature by the former aristocratic scholars of Japan. The Nanmei, Dongyang, and Jingjiaotang libraries are merely continuing this legacy of loving literature. Regarding the search and recording of novels and dramas, Dong Shoujing's book also makes important contributions. For example, among the novels in the Imperial Library collection, there is Fengshen Yanyi, a Ming Dynasty printing, edited by Xu Zhonglin. The author's name of this book has long been unknown in China, but thanks to this copy, it can beed. Another example is Yue Wumu Yanyi, which has many versions and is difficult to. The Imperial Library Catalogue has an eight-volume Ming Dynasty edition compiled by Yu Yingzheng, a ten-volume Ming Dynasty edition compiled by Xiong Damu, and an eleven-volume edition from the thirty-first year of the Jiajing era. The first eight volumes were compiled by Xiong Damu, and the last three volumes were compiled by Li Chunfang. Mr. Zhu Xizhu of Beijing has a Ming Dynasty printing, compiled by the famous Confucian scholar Zou Yuanbiao, which is also very different from the current version. If these various versions are combined, it is certain that the evolution of this book will be revealed in the future. Lienü Zhuan also has various different versions. The Imperial Library collection also has three Ming Dynasty printings, all of which can be used for comparative research. Regarding the third point, I also have some reflections. Diaries belong to biographical literature, focusing on the ability to describe the author's personality and character, so the more detailed and meticulous the diary,