Dream Rain Studio Reading Notes Opening Volume Collection

Author: Huang Chang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features: The Dream Rain Studio Reading Notes is the third reading notes book by the contemporary famous essayist Huang Chang. This A Corner of Qing Dynasty Woodblock Prints was published by Qilu Book Society in 1992, and the second Reading Notes from Laiyan Pavilion (Volumes 1 and 2) was published by Liaoning Education Press in 2001. This book is a collection of Huang Chang's reading notes written after 2001. At the age of 86 this year, Huang Chang holds this book in high regard, as it may be the last book of this kind he writes. In modern book talk writing, Huang Chang is a heavyweight figure still active in the field after Zheng Zhenduo and Tang Tao. His book talks, especially those on the origins of woodblock prints, have always been valued by the reading community. The study of Qing Dynasty woodblock prints is relatively obscure in Chinese textual studies, with few scholars paying attention to it. Historically, scholars of textual studies generally focused on the Song and Yuan dynasties, and Qing Dynasty woodblock prints were often overlooked by book collectors and rarely included in catalogues. It was not until Zhang Zhidong wrote A Guide to Catalogues that Qing Dynasty woodblock prints began to receive attention. In the early 1960s, the Beijing Library compiled A Catalogue of Chinese Woodblock Prints, breaking the norm to include images of Qing Dynasty woodblock prints, but only fifty were selected. Although later supplemented, it still cannot fully reflect the overall picture of Qing Dynasty woodblock printing. Huang Chang believes: "In fact, the role of Qing Dynasty woodblock printing in China's history of woodblock engraving cannot be ignored. Over the three hundred years of the Qing Dynasty, the exact number of books printed remains uncertain." The eighty-plus reading notes included in this book mainly discuss various representative woodblock prints of the Qing Dynasty, the decorative styles of Qing woodblock prints, which are highly artistic. A good book should not only have excellent content but also achieve a high level in layout, printing, paper quality, and binding. Huang Chang's familiarity with Qing woodblock printing is as detailed as knowing one's own home. He says, Qing woodblock printing can be divided into two main categories: calligraphic woodblock prints and Song-style woodblock prints, each varying in quality and artistry. The calligraphic woodblock prints, also known as soft-style fine engravings, hold an important place in the history of Qing Dynasty woodblock printing. Their tradition traces back to the Jiajing, Longqing, and Wanli eras, marking another peak in the tradition of calligraphic woodblock printing that emerged after the popularity of Zhao-style calligraphy in the Song Dynasty. It shifted from the roughness of the Ming Dynasty to extraordinary refinement, and the private woodblock prints of the Qing Dynasty were particularly outstanding. Most of the Qing woodblock prints mentioned in this book are owned by the author himself, adding a deep emotional resonance to the text. The Catalogue of Tianyi Pavilion's Looted Books appended to this book is highly historical and holds great significance in the study of Chinese woodblock prints.