Siku Quanshu

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The Siku Quanshu ( Chinese  四庫 全書  /  四库 全书 , Pinyin Sìkù Quánshū  - "Complete Writings of the Four Treasuries") is the largest book collection in Chinese history and probably the most ambitious editorial company in world history.

history

At the height of the Qing Dynasty commissioned Qianlong the Siku Quanshu , probably to prove that the Manchus , the Yongle Encyclopedia ( Ch.永樂大典/永乐大典) of the Ming Dynasty could surpass. The Yongle Dadian of 1407 was the largest encyclopedia of the time.

The editorial team consisted of 361 scientists, with Ji Yun ( chin.紀 昀 / 纪 昀) and Lu Xixiong ( chin.陸錫 熊 / 陆锡 熊) as editors-in-chief. Compilation began in 1773 and was finished in 1782 . Over 10,000 manuscripts from the imperial collection and other libraries were collected and recognized. Around 3,000 writings were destroyed because they were classified as hostile to Manchu. Ultimately, 3,461 books were selected for inclusion in the Siku Quanshu . They were bound in 36,381 volumes with more than 79,000 chapters. About 800 million Chinese characters can be found on the approximately 2.3 million pages .

Four copies for the emperor were kept in specially built libraries in the Forbidden City , the Old Summer Palace , Shenyang and the Wenjin Chamber in Chengde . Three other copies for the public have been deposited in Siku Quanshu Libraries in Hangzhou , Zhenjiang and Yangzhou . All seven libraries also received a copy of the imperial encyclopedia Gujin tushu jicheng from 1725.

Two copies of the Siku Quanshu were destroyed during the Taiping Uprising . The British Army burned the remaining copy almost entirely during the Second Opium War . The four remaining editions suffered some damage during World War II , but the copy of the Forbidden City (known as Wenyuange , Chinese文淵 閣 / 文渊 阁) is now in good condition in the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan. It was reprinted lithographically in 1,500 volumes during the 1980s and is currently available on CD-ROM and online.

Siku Quanshu Zongmu Tiyao

Under the title Siku Quanshu Zongmu Tiyao ( Chin.四庫 全書 總 目 提要 / 四库 全书 总 目 提要), an annotated catalog was created under the direction of Ji Yun between 1773 and 1798, which not only includes the 3,461 books of Siku Quanshu , but also 6,793 other works that are listed in the encyclopedia by their book title only. As the largest directory of books from the Chinese Empire, Siku Quanshu Zongmu Tiyao is an important bibliographic source to this day.

Siku Jinshu

The Siku Jinshu ( Chinese  四庫 禁書  /  四库 禁书  - "Forbidden Scriptures of the Four Treasuries") is the catalog of those books that were rejected and banned by order of Qianlong . The catalog thus contains the titles of the 2,855 books that were ultimately burned. The banned and destroyed 2,855 titles contrast with the 3,461 titles in the Siku Quanshu catalog .

A famous encyclopedia, the Tiangong Kaiwu ( Chin.天工 開 物 / 天工 开 物), disappeared from China for 300 years after it was banned from the Qing Court. It was later discovered that some original copies had survived in Japan.

content

The Siku Quanshu Collection is divided into four parts according to the division of the imperial library (庫 / 库ku , literally: "warehouse; warehouse; storage chamber; magazine; depot; storeroom").

The books are grouped into 44 categories including the Analects of Confucius , Mengzi , The Great Learning , Middle and Measure , I Ching , Rites of the Zhou , Book of Rites , Book of Songs , Spring and Autumn Annals , Shuowen Jiezi , Shiji , Zizhi Tongjian , The Art of War , Guoyu , Zhanguo Ce , Ben cao gang mu and other classics.

The Siku Quanshu Collection includes most of the great Chinese texts from the ancient Zhou Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty and includes all areas of science. It is the largest collection of books in the world and contains historically valuable information.

See also

literature

  • Guy, R. Kent: The Emperor's Four Treasuries: Scholars and the State in the Late Ch'ien-lung Era. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1987

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Joseph Needham: Science and Civilization in China. Volume 4: Physics and physical Technology. Volume 2: Mechanical engineering. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge et al. 1965, p. 172.