Pingshan Ridge Scenery Chronicle. Pingshan Hall Illustrated Chronicle

Author: Wang Yinggeng (Qing Dynasty)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-03-01
Features: Pingshan Lanxing Zhi is a local gazetteer centered around Pingshan Hall in Yangzhou, with a focus on the various scenic spots in the northern part of the city during the early years of the Qianlong reign in the Qing Dynasty. It systematically collects various literary works such as records, odes, essays, and ci poems dedicated to these scenic spots throughout the ages. This book is also the earliest-known specialized gazetteer on Pingshan Hall. Since its establishment in 1048 during the Qingli period of the Northern Song Dynasty by Ouyang Xiu, Pingshan Hall has become a renowned tourist attraction in Yangzhou, admired and aspired to by literati and scholars across generations. The hall has been rebuilt multiple times and has been preserved until the present day. In 1736 during the first year of the Qianlong reign in the Qing Dynasty, Yangzhou salt merchant Wang Yinggeng funded the reconstruction of Pingshan Hall, expanding its scale by adding Xiyuan (Western Garden) and Pingyuanlou (Pingyuan Pavilion). Subsequently, Wang personally compiled this Pingshan Lanxing Zhi (in ten volumes) and had it self-published in 1742 during the seventh year of the Qianlong reign. The collation of this book is based on the self-published edition of 1742 by Wang. The collected poems, odes, and essays in the book have been cross-referenced with other editions for verification. Discrepancies in taboo characters, homophones, and obvious printing errors have been directly corrected. During the proofreading, Yangzhou’s Historical Poems and Ci (People’s Literature Publishing House, 1998 edition) was referenced to revise and preserve differences, with annotations added accordingly. The marginal notes in the original text have been converted to "Original Notes" as footnotes for better formatting.