Beitang shuchao
The Beitang shuchao ( Chinese北 堂 书 钞; collected writings from the north hall ) is one of the earliest Chinese encyclopedias ( leishu ) from the beginning of the Tang dynasty, divided into subject groups .
This work by Yu Shinan虞世南 (558–638), the secretary in the imperial library of the Sui dynasty, contains many otherwise lost excerpts from earlier works, which is important for the understanding of older Chinese cultural history . It comprises 160 chapters (juan), these are subdivided into further sections (pian). Originally there were a total of 801 sections, today's editions number 51 more, namely 852.
It deals with a total of 19 subject groups, according to Nagel-Angermann they are structured as follows:
- Monarchs
- Empresses and Concubines
- Government practice
- Criminal laws
- Investitures
- Official immission
- Rites and ceremonies
- Bibliographical and selected publications
- music
- Warfare and military merits
- Clothing utensils
- Ceremonial and ritual objects
- wardrobe
- Boats
- dare
- Spirits and foods
- sky
- Seasons
- earth
The part devoted to alcoholic beverages and food (jiushi bu 酒食 部), for example, comprises seven chapters (juan) Nos. 142 to 148 in a total of 60 sections.
Remarks
literature
- Monique Nagel-Angermann: Early "encyclopedic" knowledge of Lingnan . In: Shing Müller, Thomas O. Höllmann, Putao Gui: Guangdong. Archeology and early Texts / Archeology and early texts (Zhou-Tang) ; Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag 2004
- Tao Zhengang; Zhang Lianming (ed.): Zhongguo pengren wenxian tiyao [An overview of important historical documents of Chinese eating and drinking culture]; Beijing: Zhongguo shangye chubanshe 1986.