Read History and Notes (Complete 12 volumes)

Author: Gu Zu Yu
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-03-01
Features: A Comprehensive Treatise on the Geography of the Historical Dynasties is a geographical work from the early Qing Dynasty. Originally titled A Comprehensive Treatise on the Geography of the Twenty-One Histories. It was compiled by Gu Zu Yu (1631-1692). Gu Zu Yu, styled Jing Fan, was known as Mr. Wan Xi, and was from Wuxi, Jiangsu. He began compiling the book in the 16th year of the Shunzhi reign (1659) and completed it over a span of twenty years. The entire work consists of 130 volumes. The first nine volumes describe the geographical layouts and the rise and fall of dynasties throughout history. The next 114 volumes detail the famous mountains, major rivers, strategic passes, and the territories, administrative divisions, historical sites, mountains, rivers, passes, and fortresses of the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty, as well as the frontier guards and garrisons within their jurisdictions. It also records historical events that occurred in these regions, examines their changes, and analyzes their military and defensive advantages and disadvantages. The following six volumes focus on the differences between rivers and streams, specifically on the sources and courses of the rivers mentioned in the Yu Gong and the Grand Canal and maritime routes. The final volume discusses the celestial regions. Additionally, there are four volumes of Essentials of Cartography, which include maps of the two capitals and thirteen provinces, the nine borders, the Yellow River, maritime transport, the Grand Canal, and maps of Joseon, Annam, coastal barbarians, and deserts. The entire work references over 100 historical and geographical works, including the Twenty-One Histories, general historical records, and local gazetteers, compiling the achievements of historical geography before the Ming Dynasty. It was praised as a "work unparalleled in thousands of years" during its time. Although the manuscript was completed during the Shunzhi and Kangxi reigns of the Qing Dynasty, its content is limited to the territories and administrative divisions before the late Ming Dynasty. The published version underwent minor revisions after its completion, so there are slight differences between the manuscript, the copied versions, and the published versions. Early Qing published editions also had revisions. The manuscript is currently preserved in the Shanghai Library, along with multiple copied and published versions. The earliest published edition from the 16th year of the Jiaqing reign (1811), the Long Wan Yu Fu Wen Ge edition, is the most widely used version today.