Yu Gong Zui Zhi: A Collection of Famous Academic Works from the Qing Dynasty

Author: Hu Wei (Qing Dynasty), edited by Zou Yilin
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-07-01
Features: The "Yu Gong" section of the "Shang Shu" consists of only 1,193 characters and has long been regarded as the "ancestral text of geographical records in China." It feigns the political divisions established after the Great Yu's flood control efforts, dividing the country into nine regions from a geographical perspective. It describes the mountains, rivers, marshes, soils, products, taxes, and transportation routes of these nine divisions. It also outlines the directions and courses of major mountain ranges and rivers in China, as well as the relationships between the five different hierarchical regions outside the Central Plains and the central government. It is the earliest regional geography work with high scientific value, and over the millennia, numerous scholars have annotated anded it, forming a specialized field of study. Hu Wei of the Qing Dynasty compiled various interpretations and cleared away the arbitrary and chaotic interpretations of predecessors in the study of "Yu Gong," creating the comprehensive "Yu Gong Zhi Zhi." This work provides today's readers with abundant data and important insights into the geographical landscape of the "Yu Gong" era and the changes that occurred over the centuries. In this edition, a collection of materials about Hu Wei has been gathered and appended for readers' reference and study.