Zeng Jize Diary (Volume 1, 2, 3)

Author: Zeng Jize (Qing Dynasty)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: August 1, 1998
Features: Returning a complete set, purely in terms of version, this will be the ninth edition of Zeng Jize's diary. Here, it is necessary to briefly discuss the catalogs and their advantages and disadvantages of the previous versions.
1. Zeng Hou Diary: Found in Shenbao Press Series Residues, printed by Shenbao Press in the autumn of Guangxu Year 7, compiled by the owner of Zunwen Pavilion. From the first day of the ninth month of Guangxu Year 4 to the 16th day of the third month of Guangxu Year 5, approximately 45,000 words.
2. Diary of Dispatch to Britain and France: Found in Xiao Fanghu Zhai Geographic Series, compiled and published by Wang Xiqi from Guangxu Year 17 to 23. The same start and end dates and word count as above.
3. Diary of Zeng Huimin Gong: Found in Zeng Huimin Gong's Collected Works, published by the Jiangnan Arsenal in Guangxu Year 19. From the 27th day of the seventh month of Guangxu Year 4 to the 19th day of the eleventh month of Guangxu Year 12, approximately 50,000 words, in two volumes.
4. Diary of Dispatch to the West: Found in Xiao Fanghu Zhai Geographic Series Continued Edition, compiled and published by Wang Xiqi in Guangxu Year 23. From the autumn of Guangxu Year 3 to the 16th day of the eleventh month of Guangxu Year 12, approximately 50,000 words.
5. Zeng Huimin Gong's Handwritten Diary: Found in China Historical Studies Series, edited by Wu Xiangxiang, published by Taiwan Student Bookstore in 1965 based on manuscript facsimiles. From the first day of the first month of Tongzhi Year 9 to the 26th day of the second lunar month of Guangxu Year 16, approximately 1.3 million words, in eight volumes.
6. Diary of Dispatch to the West: Found in Towards the World Series, edited by Zhong Shuhe, published by Hunan People's Publishing House in January 1981, compiled and proofread by Zhang Xuanhao. The same start and end dates as the Xiao Fanghu Continued Edition, with over 70,000 words.
7. Collected Works of Zeng Jize · Diary: Published by Yuelushu in July 1983, proofread by Yu Yancheng based on the Jiangnan Arsenal edition.
8. Diary of Dispatch to Britain, France, and Russia: Found in Towards the World Series, edited by Zhong Shuhe, published by Yuelushu in November 1985, punctuated by Wang Jiecheng. From the first day of the first month of Guangxu Year 4 to the 30th day of the twelfth month of Guangxu Year 12, approximately 560,000 words.
The above editions are incomplete in both beginning and end, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. Compared to them, the Taiwan facsimile edition is the most complete and authoritative fine copy among the existing versions. However, it was published only 32 years ago with 1,000 copies, and there are very few copies in mainland China, making it difficult for readers to obtain. Moreover, it is in traditional handwritten characters without punctuation, making it inconvenient to read. Most importantly, it lacks a significant portion of the content related to diplomatic affairs.
Taking the Wang Jiecheng punctuated edition from the Taiwan facsimile, adopting modern punctuation, annotating key points, appending an index and name comparison, and leveraging the popularity of Towards the World Series, it has become widely circulated. In terms of quantity and length, it is ten times longer than Zhang Xuanhao's edition, with rich and detailed content, leading most readers to abandon the former in favor of the latter. However, the nearly 20,000 words of diplomatic records added to Zhang Xuanhao's edition by the facsimile handwritten edition were also largely overlooked by most people.
Furthermore, as the most recent large-scale of Zeng Jize's diary, it remains a selected edition (discarding 11 years and 3 months of diary entries, approximately 750,000 words), which is inevitably a source of regret.
The Zhang Xuanhao edition is preceded by prefaces written by Zhong Shuhe, the series editor, who reportedly, in the early 1980s, had three versions (the Xiao Fanghu initial and continued editions, as well as the Jiangnan Arsenal edition) proofread by Zhang Xuanhao at the Beijing Library. At the time, this indeed became "a relatively complete edition." The reason lies in the fact that the Xiao Fanghu initial edition contains additional content approved by Zeng Jize himself, the Jiangnan Arsenal edition adds diary entries from Guangxu Year 5 to 12 compared to the initial edition, and the continued edition corrects some errors in the Jiangnan Arsenal edition. The Zhang family selectively compiled the strengths of each into a book, presenting the earliest punctuated edition to a broad readership.
However, only four years later, the Wang Jiecheng edition was published, and the Zhang Xuanhao edition was largely replaced. The Jiangnan Arsenal edition is believed to have been compiled by Zeng Jize's relatives and old friends. Upon investigation, its source text combines handwritten originals with the Shenbao Press edition. The Xiao Fanghu initial and continued editions do not specify their source texts. Upon further examination, the continued edition draws from the Jiangnan Arsenal edition, while the initial edition is a re-engraving of the Shenbao Press edition.