Taiping Yulan (1-4)

Author: Li Fang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-28
Features: After Emperor Taizong of Song, Zhao Guangyi, unified the nation, he was determined to promote traditional culture. He ordered the compilation of ancient texts and collection of materials, resulting in the creation of three major reference works: Taiping Guangji, Taiping Yulian, and Wenyuan Yinghua. Among these, Taiping Yulian cites ancient books, seventy-eight percent of which are now lost. It can be said to be a comprehensive collection of cultural knowledge before the Northern Song Dynasty. The original name of this book was Taiping Bianlan. After its completion, Emperor Taizong held it in high regard, ordering himself to read three volumes daily, completing it within a year. Thus, it was renamed Taiping Yulian, meaning the books personally read by the emperor during the Taiping Xingguo period (976–983). During the Taiping Xingguo era, the empire had obtained books from various states, and the conquered kings and ministers were all renowned scholars. Some expressed grievances, but all were included. They were placed in the imperial academies, provided with generous stipends, and tasked with compiling numerous works. From 1,690 species of literature, including Wenwen Yulian, Yiwen Laju, Wensi Boxiao, and Jingshi Ziji, they compiled 1,000 volumes, naming it Taiping Yulian. There are over ten versions of Taiping Yulian. After the Commercial Press published a photolithographic edition of the Song-era original in 1935, it became the most popular version for over two decades. To meet the needs of researchers, Zhonghua Book Company decided to the photolithographic Taiping Yulian. They combined two pages of the photolithographic edition into one, with two columns per page. Originally, it was planned to be published in 136 volumes, but now it is condensed into four large volumes, with the font size not reduced too much. This greatly increases convenience in both purchasing and collecting, as well as in research and reference.