Read History and Notes (Complete 12 volumes)

Author: Gu Zu Yu
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-03-01
Features: A Compendium of Geography and History is a geographical work from the early Qing Dynasty. Originally titled A Compendium of Geography for Twenty-One Histories, it was compiled by Gu Zu Yu (1631–1692). Zu Yu, styled Jing Fan, was known as Mr. Wanxi, 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 historical changes and geographical trends of dynasties. The next 114 volumes detail the mountains, rivers, strategic passes, and administrative divisions (prefectures, prefectures, counties, and military posts) of the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty, including their boundaries, historical changes, ancient sites, mountains, rivers, passes, and fortresses, as well as recorded historical events and analyses of their strategic advantages and disadvantages. The following six volumes focus on the differences between rivers and streams, detailing the sources and courses of the rivers mentioned in the Yu Gong and the Grand Canal and maritime routes. The final volume covers the celestial regions. Additionally, A Concise Guide to Maps (four volumes) is included, featuring maps of the two capitals and thirteen provinces, the nine borders, the Yellow River, maritime transport, the Grand Canal, and regions such as Korea, Annam, coastal barbarians, and deserts. The entire work references over 100 historical and geographical texts, including twenty-one histories, general chronicles, and local records, compiling the achievements of historical geography before the Ming Dynasty. It was praised at the time as "a work unparalleled in thousands of years." The manuscript was completed during the Shunzhi and Kangxi reigns of the Qing Dynasty, but the content was limited to the boundaries and administrative divisions before the late Ming Dynasty. The published version underwent minor revisions after completion, so there are slight differences between the manuscript, copies, and published versions. Early Qing published versions also had revisions. The manuscript is currently preserved in the Shanghai Library, with multiple copies and published versions. The earliest published version from the 16th year of the Jiaqing reign (1811), Long Wan Yu Fuwen Ge, is the most widely used edition today.