A Study Of Jinxiu Wanhuagu Qianji

Ancient Chinese Leishu originated from Huanglan,developed through the Sui,Tang and Northern Song Dynasty,and reached its peak in the Southern Song Dynasty.There were a large number of Leishu compiled by Shi,as well as ones published by bookshops,which were springing up as a result of the popularization of elite culture and the development of publishing industry.Many of these Leishu were magnificent works,rich in content and of great value.Meanwhile,literary,Shi-oriented Leishu and popular,civilian-oriented Leishu parted their ways.Generated at the turning point,Jinxiu Wanhuagu Qianji sat right in the middle of this separation.Jinxiu Wanhuagu Qianji(hereafter referred to as Qianji)was written in the early Southern Song Dynasty and the author didn’t leave his name.There was a preface revealing the author’s life of destitution and war-induced homelessness,through which he still tried his best to collect material and to write this book.As a typical example of Leishu in early Southern Song Dynasty,Qainji not only inherited the legacy of previous Leishu but created something new.It has certain features of Leishu compiled by Shi,at the same time showing a tendency towards popularization,which made the status of this book in Chinese Leishu history worth exploring.The article consists of four parts.Studying the book from a classical philology perspective,part one explores the identity of the author,the writing process,and the versions on the basis of former academic research achievements.Part two discusses Qianji’s source of material,firstly presenting the excerpts from previous Leishu in Qainji and then analysing the compilation and features of its references including poems,poem annotations,Buddhist books,Taoist books,biographies,literary sketches and so on.Based on part two,Part three tries to dig deeply into the Knowledge Collection of Qainji from the compilation features and the tendency towards popularization.Furthermore,this part introduces two other Leishu,Hailusuishi and Gujin Shiwenleiju,comparing them with Qianji to reveal the similarities,differences and changes of the Shi’ Knowledge Collection in the Song Dynasty.Part four compares Jinxiu Wanhuagu Houji and Gujin Hebishileibeiyao with Qianji,presents the influences of Qainji on these two Leishu,and explains the status and influences of this book in the separation of Leishufrom the perspective of Leishu history.