The Study Of Folk-knowledge Readings In Ming And Qing Dynasties

There were large numbers of folk-knowledge readings in Ming and Qing dynasties,among which,the development of miscellaneous books was especially prosperous.The miscellaneous books targeted in this study included encyclopedias for daily use and miscellaneous wordbooks,which had been continuously published in folk with various versions in a considerable number,and thus this period turned to be the flourishing period of the history.The daily miscellaneous books in Ming and Qing dynasties was all-embracing in content,just like the practical “encyclopedia” of folk life.They embraced widespread popularity and provided all aspects of guidance for the bottom folk populace.These books,as the important source of accepting knowledge and education,were indispensable in production and daily life of those who were at the bottom of the society.This study,targeting at the daily miscellaneous books in Ming and Qing dynasties,analyzes the contents and functions of the books,and discusses the acceptance of knowledge,literary writing and cultural inheritance in the civil non-elite world to affirm the value of daily miscellaneous books in folk society.This research is divided into three parts: introduction,body and conclusion.The introduction discusses the research meaning and the existent literature material of daily miscellaneous books.The literature review introduces the current condition of the relationship between encyclopedias for daily use and miscellaneous wordbooks.The body part is divided into four chapters.The first chapter expounds daily miscellaneous books in Ming and Qing dynasties.The popularity of comprehensive daily miscellaneous books is a reflection of the maturity of the daily knowledge system.Daily miscellaneous books also promote canonization of folk knowledge and foundation of daily knowledge system.The second chapter focuses on the social functions of daily miscellaneous books and their prominent contributions to the literacy education in the lower classes.These books make the lower classes gain much practical knowledge and also lead the daily production and life of the common people.In addition,they also,to some extent,contribute to the operation order in the lower classes.The main focus of the third chapter is about people's mental life and artistic activities in daily miscellaneous books.According to this,it analyzes the genre of folk literature and literary expression in traditional society and thus explores the unique writing style of genre and literature in the lower classes,which proves that folk society also has poetry details under the Chinese language system.The fourth chapter introduces the conception of “CultureMemory”,pointing that the popular Ming and Qing dynasties daily miscellaneous books are important media of folk literary memory and expounding their significant functions of the inheritance in non-elite culture.The conclusion makes a summary of the research and affirms the value and meaning of daily miscellaneous books.It points that daily miscellaneous books are of great importance for the research of folk custom,folk culture,folk literature and social life and are helpful for the research of Ming and Qing dynasties commercial economy,language transformation,legal instrument and etiquette conception.