Record of Nanyongzhou

王韶Jul 2024

Rating 2.8
Word count
433 words
Chapters
7

Tags

Classic Works Human GeographyRegional SocietyNature ObservationEclectic ReadingFolk Customs

Summary

Traditional Chinese thought and culture have a long history and are highly original, inventive and literary. Early forms of thought have distinctive features; religious theology, classical texts of Chinese medicine, ancient military strategy, Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist and Hundred Schools thought, feng shui and metaphysics, the Twenty-Four Histories, and customs and local gazetteers are all vast and profound. This series, "Essence of Classic Chinese Culture: Original Texts," preserves the appearance of the original books and focuses on preserving and transmitting traditional Chinese thought and culture. By reading the literary essence left by ancient sages, readers cultivate temperament and subtly come to appreciate the classics of Chinese learning.

Editor's review

Nan Yongzhou Ji is included in the "Essence of Classic Chinese Culture: Original Texts" series, whose editorial aim is to preserve and transmit traditional thought and culture. It retains the appearance of the original book without excessive rewriting and is suitable as an introductory reader for understanding ancient geographical gazetteers and local writing. The name Nan Yongzhou points to historical geographical change, and the content carries on the tradition of customs and local gazetteers. In reading, one sees how the ancients recorded mountains and rivers, people and legends, and can also appreciate the concise and restrained style of gazetteer writing. The book's highlight lies in the phrase "appearance of the original book": readers confront the old text directly, unobscured by modern paraphrase, and can train their patience in reading classical Chinese and searching historical materials. In terms of reading situations, it is suitable for keeping on the desk for casual browsing and reference, and also for reading alongside the geographical treatises in the Twenty-Four Histories and local gazetteers. One caveat: this book belongs to a series devoted to organizing traditional cultural classics, with emphasis on preservation and transmission; it does not provide detailed modern annotation or a research introduction, so beginning readers should first understand the basic background before entering.

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Reading tips

  1. First read the table of contents and preface to clarify the geographical scope of Nan Yongzhou and the background of the book's composition, then read the main text item by item.
  2. Keep a historical atlas of China at hand and check place names and directions as you read, to help build a spatial impression.
  3. When encountering obscure place names and official titles, mark them first and look them up together later, so as not to interrupt the rhythm of reading.
  4. Read alongside the geographical treatises in the Twenty-Four Histories and compare the similarities and differences between gazetteer writing and official dynastic records.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 和山
  3. 粉水
  4. 酒泉
  5. 辛居士家
  6. 诸葛故宅
  7. 乐善台

FAQ

Is this book suitable for readers with no foundation in classical Chinese? This book retains the appearance of the original and focuses on preserving and transmitting traditional thought and culture; it does not provide sentence-by-sentence vernacular translation. Readers with a weak foundation in classical Chinese will encounter some obstacles. It is advisable first to use reference books or relevant introductions to understand the background, then read the original text step by step.
What are the features of the "Essence of Classic Chinese Culture: Original Texts" series? The series aims to preserve and transmit traditional Chinese thought and culture, retains the appearance of the original books, and does not excessively rewrite them. Its content covers religious theology, classical texts of Chinese medicine, ancient military strategy, Confucian, Daoist and Buddhist thought, customs and local gazetteers, and more. It is suitable for readers who wish to engage directly with the original texts of the classics.
What supplementary materials should one prepare for reading Nan Yongzhou Ji? One may prepare a historical atlas of China, a dictionary of ancient place names and a dictionary of common classical Chinese characters for checking place names, directions and obscure word meanings. For deeper study, relevant local gazetteers and the geographical treatises in the official histories may be consulted to help understand the historical and geographical background of the records in the book.

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About the author

王韶 Author

Wang Shao is the author of the Nan Yongzhou Ji (Records of Southern Yongzhou). Beyond this, very little is publicly known about his life. Only one work is attributed to him, and it is classified among classic works. The available sources do not confirm his native place, dates of birth and death, or official career, nor do they allow us to infer the circumstances under which he wrote the book. Judging by its title, the Nan Yongzhou Ji belongs to the genre of local records, covering the landscape, administrative divisions, people, and customs of Southern Yongzhou; it is a valuable source for the history and geography of the region. Works of this kind often combine gazetteer and miscellaneous history, written in concise prose and devoted to factual record, a tradition Wang Shao's writing follows. Owing to the lack of historical material, his other activities can no longer be traced, and readers can know him only through this surviving work.