Complete Gazetteer of Liao

李辅Qunyan Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

3.7

Word count: 271K words
Chapters: 16

Summary

The Complete Gazetteer of Liaodong is the third revised edition of the Liaodong Gazetteer. How can this be known? The Liaodong Gazetteer was first compiled in the eighth year of the Zhengtong reign and completed in the first year of the Hongzhi reign, and was revised in the eighth year of the Jiajing reign and completed in the sixteenth year. The prefaces to the first compilation and the reprint are placed at the beginning of the volume, and the Complete Gazetteer of Liaodong adopts and includes them all.

Editor's review

The Quan Liao Zhi is the third revised edition of the Ming dynasty Liaodong gazetteer, and its compilation history can be clearly traced: it was first compiled in the eighth year of the Zhengtong era and completed in the first year of the Hongzhi era, revised in the eighth year of the Jiajing era and completed in the sixteenth year. This book collects all the prefaces and postfaces from the successive revisions at the front of the volume, providing direct textual evidence for examining the layered formation of Ming dynasty gazetteers of the Northeast. As a local gazetteer, its value lies not in narrative elegance but in preserving original records of Liaodong's administrative evolution, mountains and rivers, military defense and corvée labor, notable figures and customs; it is a primary source for studying Ming frontier governance and local society in the Northeast. The 2024 Qunyan Press facsimile or collated edition makes this little-circulated old gazetteer more accessible. When reading, it should be placed within the context of Ming gazetteer compilation history and Northeast historical studies, and read alongside the Liaodong Zhi and relevant Ming and Qing archives, so that the historical significance of its additions can be seen. For readers concerned with Northeast local history, frontier historical geography, and the transmission of rare editions, this is a reference work worth close reading.

Who it's for

A good fit for

University teachers and students studying Ming dynasty Northeast frontier history, geography, and local governance
Professional readers engaged in local gazetteer studies, rare book collation, and textual research
Readers interested in Liaoning local history and culture who need to consult original gazetteers

Not a good fit for

General readers looking for popular historical stories or literary works
Beginners lacking classical Chinese reading ability and unfamiliar with the format of ancient gazetteers

Reading tips

Read the prefaces and postscripts from successive revisions collected at the front of the volume first to clarify the sequence of the three compilations and the focus of each supplement.
Read the book alongside the Liaodong Gazetteer, marking the entries and materials newly added in the continuation.
Use relevant Ming dynasty historical works on the Northeast and modern scholarly studies to place the gazetteer's contents in historical context.

About the publisher

Qunyan Publishing House China · Founded in 1989

Founded in 1989, Qunyan Publishing House has long been committed to publishing academic and educational books for mid- and high-level readers, and has built up a certain presence in Eastern philosophy, classical literature, and classic works. Representative titles available in the database include Records of the Grand Historian, Dream of the Red Chamber, Selections of Refined Literature, Complete Song Ci, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, Record of Daily Knowledge, Taiping Huimin Hejiju Fang, and The Collected Works of Wang Yangming, covering common categories such as ancient poetry, medicine, and examinations. Its author resources include Sima Qian, Cao Xueqin, Xiao Tong, Li Shan, Pu Songling, and Gu Yanwu. The press also offers distinctive series such as the Biographical Series of the China Democratic League and the Historical Documents Series of the China Democratic League, and publishes research on historical documents, biographies, memoirs, and textbooks and academic works by League members. Public information is limited, and its overall publishing scale and complete catalogue require further verification.

版权信息
●敘
●全遼志凡例
●全遼志卷一
●全遼志卷二
●全遼志卷三
●全遼志卷四
●全遼志卷之六
●全遼志後序
●全遼志校勘記
卷一
卷二
卷三
卷四
卷五
卷六

FAQ

What is the relationship between the Complete Gazetteer of Liaodong and the Liaodong Gazetteer?

According to the book's explanation, the Complete Gazetteer of Liaodong is the third revised edition of the Liaodong Gazetteer. The Liaodong Gazetteer was first compiled in the eighth year of the Zhengtong era and completed in the first year of the Hongzhi era; it was revised in the eighth year of the Jiajing era and completed in the sixteenth year. The Complete Gazetteer of Liaodong collects all prefaces from the original compilation and reprints in its front matter, showing that it continues the earlier gazetteer; the two should be read together.

Is this book suitable for beginners to read directly?

Not very suitable. This is a classical Chinese text in the traditional gazetteer format, with contents organized mainly under headings such as administrative establishment, mountains and rivers, military defense, and notable persons. Readers without basic classical Chinese ability and knowledge of gazetteer conventions will find it hard to get through. It is advisable to acquire some foundation in classical Chinese first, or start with relevant scholarly studies before reading the original.

How should one grasp its value as a historical source when reading?

The point is not to read the whole text through but to analyze its layered formation. First read the prefaces and postscripts at the front to determine the time and purpose of each compilation, then compare with the earlier gazetteer to identify content newly added in the continuation; these additions often reflect the actual social and border-defense conditions in Liaodong during the Jiajing period.

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About the author

李辅 Author

Li Fu: biographical information is unavailable, and public sources are limited. Judging from the two works held in the collection, both relate to the Complete Gazetteer of Liao, a local gazetteer of the Liaodong region covering its historical evolution, geography, administrative institutions, and notable figures. It is an important reference for understanding society in the ancient northeastern frontier. Li Fu's writing centers on the compilation and organization of historical sources; his style is factual and restrained, favoring plain record over rhetorical elaboration. Such works have value both as historical reading and as folk literature: they preserve local memory and primary materials on administrative change, while also recording legends and local customs circulated among the people, giving them foundational significance for later regional history and folklore studies. Because sources are limited, his native place, dates, and official career cannot be verified, and readers should consult the original texts alongside other documents.