Shanghai County Old Records (4)

Author: Lu Li, edited by Mu Chou
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2004-01-01
Features: In the rich trove of historical documents and local records of Jiangnan, the small local records of towns and villages in Shanghai hold significant importance. Preliminary statistics show that there are approximately 300 types of local records compiled in Shanghai before the founding of the People's Republic of China, among which small records such as Baozhi (county records), Xiangzhi (township records), Zhenzhi (town records), Lizhi (village records), and Tuzhi (map records) account for about half. These small records are mainly distributed in counties such as Songjiang, Qingpu, Shanghai, Jiading, and Baoshan. The small records of towns and villages gather important historical materials from various aspects of the towns and villages, filled with local flavor, and represent a highly valuable historical legacy. This article provides a brief analysis of the characteristics and value of Shanghai's small local records of towns and villages.
Lu Li, styled Jiaren, was the grandson of Lu Shen, a Ming Dynasty Imperial Attendant. He moved with his father to Zhenru at a young age and became a student of Baoshan County. Respected for both his moral character and scholarly achievements, his writing was influenced by the Records of the Grand Historian and the Book of Han. Seeing that Zhenru lacked a village record and fearing the loss of historical documents, he began extensive collection and research in 1765 during the 30th year of the Qianlong reign (1765). Over six years, he compiled and categorized the materials, which underwent seven revisions before being completed as the Zhenru Lizhi in four volumes and 27 chapters in the 36th year of the Qianlong reign (1771). Lu Xixiong wrote a preface for this record, praising it as "concise yet adhering to historical methods, meticulous in research, and sufficient for the collection of county annals. It has preserved the historical records of the region." During the compilation of the Baoshan County record in the Guangxu reign, this work was used as a reference source.