New Discovery of the Yongle Dadian (Seventeen Volumes) Abroad

Author: Xu Zhongyi, Yu Lan
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Features: The Yongle Dadian was compiled in Nanjing during the reign of Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty. Emperor Yongle personally formulated a grand compilation objective, which stated, "All books from the beginning of writing, including historical records, classics, philosophy, and the works of various schools, as well as discussions on astronomy, geography, yin-yang, medicine, divination, Buddhism, Taoism, and craftsmanship, should be compiled into a single book without being deterred by its vastness." He ordered 147 scholars, including Jie Zhen, the Vice President of the Right Spring Studio, to compile the Wenxian Dagang in just one year. Emperor Yongle believed that "what was compiled was still incomplete" and did not align with the original intention of "comprehensively compiling into a single book without being deterred by its vastness." Therefore, in the third year of the Yongle era, he decided to revise it. The court officials, including Yao Guangxiao, the Vice President of the Heir Apparent, Zheng Xi, the Minister of Rites, and Jie Zhen, were appointed as chief editors. They gathered approximately 3,000 scholars from all walks of life, including scholars, elderly Confucian scholars, high-ranking monks, and Taoist masters, to undertake tasks such as editing, reviewing, proofreading, copying, drawing, and annotating. The entire imperial library, including the Wenyuan Pavilion, was utilized, and people were sent to various regions to collect books. Throughout the compilation process, both human and material resources were fully guaranteed.