A Study On The Sketchbook Concept Of The Qing Dynasty

The genre of sketchbook enjoys a long-standing history from its emergence in the Pre-Qin Period to the Qing Dynasty with both stability and change. It was stable because its mode of writing to record things had remained the same for thousands of years. It changed because, as a genre, it was influenced by other genres and vise versa together with such other factors as social development and academic transition that brought about the constant changes in its content. The Qing Dynasty marked the consummation of traditional Chinese learning and the sketchbook concept also flourished and matured during this period.The sketchbook concept during the Qing Dynasty manifested itself in various modes, including essays, bibliographies, book series, anthologies, prefaces and postscripts. Besides, a series of significant behaviors related to the sketchbook also embody the author’s sketchbook concept. These static modes of presentation and dynamic modes of behavior constituted the sketchbook concept of Qing authors.Through textual research, Qing authors found that the mode of writing to record things originated from the note-taking and inquiring tradition of official historians while the miscellaneous and complex characteristic of its content stemmed from essays in the Zi-department of ancient Chinese books. Qing intellectuals’ critical interpretation of ancient texts not also enriched the sketchbook content but also guided it with a rigorous academic spirit while the grotesque and humorous fiction broadened its presentation sphere. The sketchbook generally fell into three categories: archeological studies,records of events, and unofficial histories. This classification approach has profound influence on today’s classification and study of sketchbooks.According to Qing intellectuals, the sketchbook and other genres had influenced each other throughout history, which gave the sketchbook a form that mixed various genres. The sketchbook was a genre that was most typical of intellectuals and its author was in voluntary pursuit of grace and truth. The sketchbook was mainly circulated on paper and its traditional circulation means had been replaced by the modern one with different effects. The acceptance of the sketchbook was a complicated, multi-dimensional, multilevel, interrelated and comprehensive cultural activity. From such measures as adding bibliography, revising and editing, inscribing and publishing, banning and destroying certain books, we can get a glimpse of the specific circumstance of Qing intellectuals’ acceptance of the sketchbook together with its guidance to sketchbook creation.Qing intellectuals had a rich and in-depth understanding of such theoretical issues as the sketchbook’s origin and development, content classification, mode and feature, aesthetic trait, creation inspiration, function and value, circulation and acceptance. However, the academic circle has always lacked an overall investigation of these issues, so we cannot reach a comprehensive and systematic understanding of the evolution of the sketchbook concept during the Qing Dynasty. A systematic and macroscopic study of the sketchbook concept during the Qing Dynasty is bound to promote the current sketchbook study.