On The Studies Of Catalogues In Private Book Collections In Qing Dynasty

The Qing Dynasty witnessed the apogee in the history of Chinese private book collections. Despite the bountiful academic value in the catalogue of the collections in the Qing Dynasty, only a small part have come into focus, and neither have they been taken advantage of by scholars. There remain a considerable number of rarely-seen catalogues of book collections undetected, yet they luster like the pearls masked by dust. Based on the statements above, this article, divided into seven chapters, attempts to provide insight into the catalogues of the rare private collections in the the Qing Dynasty from various perspectives and to reveal its academic value, by means of newly-discovered first-hand documents.Chapter I is characterized by enumerating the catalogues of private collections in the Qing Dynasty and their significances, exemplifying and introducing the value of three rare catalogues, i.e.. Song Yuanban Catalogue by Lu Xinyuan, ShiShiShanFang Catalogue by Yao Zhenzong, and Yushan Qianshi Jiangyuntang Catalogue of Book Collections, a transcript in the early Qing Dynasty, recorded by Ding Zuyin and edited by Li Wenzao. All of the three catalogues are respectively distinctive and representative for the following reasons:Lu’s is a catalogue of book collections without abstracts, yet it can be counted as the most cherished early manual script among all the Lu’s catalogues, preserving the documents of collections in Bisong Mansion written by Lu Xinyeuan and his son Lu Shusheng as well as the trading price of the book. The thirty volumes of Yao’s catalogues, are esteemed as the largest private catalogues of book collections known by now, with each abstract for each recorded book, and are of great importance in researching the relations between the bibliographers’ collection and pursuit for their studies, and count much in the formation of Yao Zhenzong’s ideas about bibliography. The Jangyuntang Catalogue of Book Collections by Ding, is not only the early version of Qian Qianyi’s catalogue, unknown to the academics, but also recorded all the contents in the transcriptions in the early Qing Dynasty edited by Li Nanjian, encompassing much information of certain value.Chapter Ⅱ is focusing on private catalogues of collections and the prefaces and postscripts, and cites two cases-one is rectifying the corruptions in Huang Pilie’s preface and postscript by virtue of the prefaces and postscripts recorded in the catalogue of manuscripts, and the other is researching into the postscripts in the book collections of Weng Xincun and his son Weng Tonghe. The former indicates the misplacement and displacement in the manual scripts. Misplacement signifies Huang Pilie misplaced the postscript of this book in another; displacement signifies that prefaces and postscripts of the same book are scattered in several books, which can lead to a belief that the postscripts belong to two books bearing the same name. All these errors have long remained undetected, and have been erroneously circulated till now. The latter one illuminates over ten rectifications and prefaces and postscripts, composed by Weng Xincun and Weng Tonghe on the basis of the book collections by the antecedents, which have been hardly familiar to the academia.Chapter III deals mainly with the assemblage and dissipation of book collections in the Qing Dynasty, with the pivotal attention due to private book collections. Centering on the newly-discovered Yingtang Chenshe Book Catalogue, this article further studies the Prince Yi’s book collections in his mansion; centering on the two newly-seen catalogues of book collections by Sun Zongxi and Sun Yangzeng, this article researches into the family background of Sun’s family and their book collections; centering on the three newly-discovered catalogues and manual scripts of Yuan Chang, this article researches into Yuan’s book collections and his ideas on bibliography, who was renowned as a cardinal minister in the late Qing Dynasty. Through all the newly-discovered catalogues and related materials, this article rectifies some mistaken understandings of the stories about diverse household book collections in the academia.Chapter IV covers the records of catalogues about the rarely-seen private book collections in the Qing Dynasty and sections of the Dream of the Red Chamber, a novel banned at that time, introducing Yi Mansion, considered as the transcriber of the Yimao (Chinese 乙卯) version, and the episode related to the Dream of the Red Chamber in the catalogues of the book collections in Zeng Guofan’s family, who served as a cardinal minister in the late Qing Dynasty. It is the first time ever in the academia that the catalogues about the Dream of the Red Chamber were found recorded, giving access to many valuable clues in related researches.Chapter V deals with the social activities of the scholars in the Qing Dynasty, and books’circulation and catalogues of book collections. Taking the Hairi Mansion of Shen Zengzhi as an example, this chapter seeks to interpret the private book collections in terms of the history of books, documents and culture, makes analysis of the origin, and the circulation of book collections among the scholars in the Qing Dynasty, beginning with the catalogue of book collections in Hairi Mansion and their prefaces and postscripts, and affirms that books, generally considered as a tool for socialization among scholars and government officials, inspired a specific circulation of book collections. "Socialization via books" gave impetus to the interpersonal relations among them, and objectively prompted academic exchanges and communications. Book collectors interacted with scholars frequently, and a relatively regional cultural circle was gradually coming into being, which enhanced the development of both the academics and book collections.Chapter VI is dedicated to the synopsis of rarely-seen private book catalogue. Citing the book collections Hunan Library as an example, this articles introduces some priceless catalogues of private collections, yet excluded by "Catalogue of Chinese Ancient Books" and "Synopsis of the Manual Scripts of Ancient Chinese Books in the Collections of Provincial and Municipal Libraries in Middle south and Southwestern Regions", among which there’re numerous manual scripts and books of famous book collectors, like Zeng Guofan, Wang Lipei and Li Xiaodan.Chapter VII displays the catalogue of private book collectors in recent 300 years, and adds some 1,000 catalogues of private collections and other basic information, which are not included by "Catalogue of Chinese Ancient Books ". In the conclusion, further plans on related researches are introduced.