''Shilin Guangji'' () is an

encyclopedia An encyclopedia is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge, either general or special, in a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into article (publishing), articles or entries that are arranged Alp ...

written by

Chen Yuanjing Chen Yuanjing () was a scholar of the Yuan dynasty known for writing the ''Shilin Guangji''. Chen Yuanjing was born at the end of the Song dynasty#Southern Song, 1127–1279, Southern Song dynasty in Chong'an (崇安), Jianzhou (Fujian), Jianzhou ...

during the

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty ( ; zh, c=元朝, p=Yuáncháo), officially the Great Yuan (; Mongolian language, Mongolian: , , literally 'Great Yuan State'), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after Div ...

. The book contains text written in

Chinese characters Chinese characters are logographs used Written Chinese, to write the Chinese languages and others from regions historically influenced by Chinese culture. Of the four independently invented writing systems accepted by scholars, they represe ...

Mongolian script The traditional Mongolian script, also known as the Hudum Mongol bichig, was the first Mongolian alphabet, writing system created specifically for the Mongolian language, and was the most widespread until the introduction of Cyrillic script, Cy ...

, and the

ʼPhags-pa script The Phagspa ( ), Phags-pa or ḥPags-pa script is an alphabet designed by the Tibetan monk and State Preceptor (later Imperial Preceptor) Drogön Chögyal Phagpa (1235–1280) for Kublai Khan (), the founder of the Yuan dynasty (1271–1 ...

. Chen Yuanjing was a native of Chong'an (崇安) in

Fujian Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...

and was born during the later years of the

Southern Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Ten Kingdoms, endin ...

. The encyclopedia contains a wealth of info on the daily life during the Mongol Empire and Yuan dynasty, including illustrations, maps and

cartography Cartography (; from , 'papyrus, sheet of paper, map'; and , 'write') is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an imagined reality) can ...

. Among historical texts, it was easy to understand and popular even after the Yuan dynasty. Chen's book was used by scholars during the Ming and Qing dynasties to compile their own encyclopedias. Based on dates within the text, it has been deduced that Chen wrote the book in the early Yuan during the reign of

Kublai Kublai Khan (23 September 1215 – 18 February 1294), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shizu of Yuan and his regnal name Setsen Khan, was the founder and first List of emperors of the Yuan dynasty, emperor of the Mongols, Mongol-l ...

(Emperor Shizu of Yuan). The original manuscript has been lost, but printed copies made in the Yuan dynasty, Ming dynasty, and Japan still exist with expansions and modifications. Chen's ''Shilin Guangji'' served as an example and foundation for later Chinese encyclopedias such as the ''Sancai Tuhui'' (Ming dynasty) and ''Gujin Tushu Jicheng'' (Qing dynasty).

Translation

The ''Shilin Guangji'' is sometimes translated as ''Vast Record from the Forest of Affairs'',Chen, Klasing (2020-12-16). "Memorable arts: The mnemonics of painting and calligraphy in Late Imperial China"
University of Leiden
''Comprehensive Record of Affairs'',''Vast Record of Varied Matters'', ''A Widely Comprehensive Record of a Forest of Affairs'', or simply ''Forest of Affairs''.

The book contains 42 volumes (卷) and has been described as an everyday encyclopedia or ''leishu'' (日用类书). The volumes are divided into 10 parts and arranged according to the Ten

Heavenly Stems The ten Heavenly Stems (or Celestial Stems) are a system of ordinals indigenous to China and used throughout East Asia, first attested during the Shang dynasty as the names of the ten days of the week. They were also used in Shang-era ritual ...

. The book describes life during the Southern Song as well as life during the Yuan dynasty. In the encyclopedia of the Yuan dynasty, a map of the Yuan was drawn: ''The Great Yuan all in One Map'' (大元混一图), including the capital cities of

Shangdu Shangdu (; lit. "Upper Capital"; ), known in the West as Xanadu, was the summer capital of the Yuan dynasty under Kublai Khan. Located in what is now Zhenglan Banner, Inner Mongolia, it was designed by Chinese architect Liu Bingzhong and served as ...

and Dadu (

Khanbaliq Khanbaliq (; , ''Qaɣan balɣasu'') or Dadu of Yuan (; , ''Dayidu'') was the Historical capitals of China, winter capital of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty in what is now Beijing, the capital of China today. It was located at the center of modern ...

or Beijing). It then introduces: * the counties and cities of the Yuan, * the

, *

font In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a ''typeface'', defined as the set of fonts that share an overall design. For instance, the typeface Bauer Bodoni (shown in the figure) includes fonts " Roman" (or "regul ...

s, *

(an official script of the

Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire was the List of largest empires, largest contiguous empire in human history, history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Euro ...

), * the ''Hundred Family Surnames'', including a version written in the Phagspa script (百家姓蒙古文), * the Yuan dynasty

currency A currency is a standardization of money in any form, in use or circulation as a medium of exchange, for example banknotes and coins. A more general definition is that a currency is a ''system of money'' in common use within a specific envi ...

and

economic system An economic system, or economic order, is a system of production, resource allocation and distribution of goods and services within an economy. It includes the combination of the various institutions, agencies, entities, decision-making proces ...

, * and the ancestral tree of the Yuan emperors. It then introduces the daily life and street life of Mongol Empire citizens and pioneered the precedent of using illustrations in live encyclopedias. Illustrations include horse riding,

archery Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a Bow and arrow, bow to shooting, shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting ...

, greeting customs (拜会), chariots and vehicles, flags, schools, sages,

Confucius Confucius (; pinyin: ; ; ), born Kong Qiu (), was a Chinese philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. Much of the shared cultural heritage of the Sinosphere originates in the phil ...

Laozi Laozi (), also romanized as Lao Tzu #Name, among other ways, was a semi-legendary Chinese philosophy, Chinese philosopher and author of the ''Tao Te Ching'' (''Laozi''), one of the foundational texts of Taoism alongside the ''Zhuangzi (book) ...

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

, banquets and

cuisine A cuisine is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, List of cooking techniques, techniques and Dish (food), dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Regional food preparation techniques, ...

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

, magic, singing, music,

guqin The ''guqin'' (; ) is a plucked seven-string Chinese musical instrument. It has been played since ancient times, and has traditionally been favoured by scholars and literati as an instrument of great subtlety and refinement, as highlighted b ...

and

zither Zither (; , from the Greek ''cithara'') is a class of stringed instruments. The modern instrument has many strings stretched across a thin, flat body. Zithers are typically played by strumming or plucking the strings with the fingers or a ...

, etc. Chen Yuanjing's ''Shilin Guangji'' became a first-hand visual source for studying Yuan dynasty history and social life during the Mongol Empire. The encyclopedia has a section on cuisine, where it discusses fermenting agents (曲), spirits and wines (名酒、佳酿), ways to preserve meat and fish (脯、鲊), tea (茶水), and snacks made from wheat and flour (面点). Within the book the ''Hundred Family Surnames'' poem is written in Phagspa script and recorded in a large space, with annotations in the Mongolian script. Kublai Khan's vision was to create a universal system that could write the languages of the various people unified by the Mongol Empire. Phagspa was created to transcribe languages such as Chinese, Mongolian, Tibetan, Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic, Turkic, etc. Later after the end of the Yuan dynasty, the Phagspa script fell out of general use but influenced the development of the Korean

Hangul The Korean alphabet is the modern writing system for the Korean language. In North Korea, the alphabet is known as (), and in South Korea, it is known as (). The letters for the five basic consonants reflect the shape of the speech organs ...

script. Chen's book is one of the extant sources of usage of the Phagspa script during the Mongol Empire, providing a source of study for

historical linguistics Historical linguistics, also known as diachronic linguistics, is the scientific study of how languages change over time. It seeks to understand the nature and causes of linguistic change and to trace the evolution of languages. Historical li ...

Gallery

The following are illustrations from the iShilin Guangji. File:二龍出海势.png, alt=, Illustration of Chinese chess in the ''Shilin Guangji'' File:Outer city of Bianjing.JPG, alt=, Map of Bianjing File:事林廣記二十八宿.png, alt=, The

Twenty-Eight Mansions The Twenty-Eight Mansions (), also called or , are part of the Chinese constellations system. They can be considered as the equivalent to the Zodiac, zodiacal constellations in Western astronomy, though the Twenty-eight Mansions reflect the move ...

File:Cuju in Shilin Guangji.JPG, alt=, ''Cuju'', an ancient Chinese football game File:事林廣記太极图.png, alt=, ''Taijitu'', illustrating

Yin and yang Originating in Chinese philosophy, yin and yang (, ), also yinyang or yin-yang, is the concept of opposite cosmic principles or forces that interact, interconnect, and perpetuate each other. Yin and yang can be thought of as complementary an ...

File:Shilin Guangji Phagspa Hundred Family Surnames.jpg, alt=, ''Hundred Family Surnames'' written in Chinese and

Editions

The first edition of ''Shilin Guangji'' initially compiled information to prepare students for civil service examinations. Later throughout the Yuan and subsequent dynasties, various additions were made to the text in reprinted editions. Based on studies of taboo characters preserved in certain Japanese editions of the ''Shilin Guangji'', the first edition was published in the late Song before its fall. It was then expanded and republished many times during the Yuan and in subsequent dynasties and in Japan, giving the ''Shilin Guangji'' an extensive history of publication.

Zhonghua edition

In 1963, the

Zhonghua Book Company Zhonghua Book Company (), formerly spelled Chunghwa or Chung-hua Shu-chü, and sometimes translated as Zhonghua Publishing House, are Chinese publishing houses that focuses on the humanities, especially classical Chinese works. Currently it ha ...

photocopied a printed edition of the ''Shilin Guangji'' during the reign of Yuan Wenzong

Jayaatu Khan Tugh Temür Jayaatu Khan ( Mongolian: Заяат хаан ; ''Jayaγatu qaγan''; ), born Tugh Temür (Mongolian: Төвтөмөр ; ), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Wenzong of Yuan (; 16 February 1304 – 2 September 1332), was an emperor of t ...

(r. 1330–1333, Zhishun 至顺) from the Jian'an Chunzhuang Academy (建安椿庄书院). This version was often quoted in academic circles. The Zhonghua photocopy edition was distributed widely by

The Commercial Press The Commercial Press () is the first modern publishing organization in China. The Commercial Press is known for its academic publishing and translation work in humanities and social sciences, as well as the '' Xinhua Dictionary''. History In ...

and photographed by the

Palace Museum The Palace Museum (), also known as the Beijing Palace Museum, is a large national museum complex housed in the Forbidden City at the core of Beijing, China. With , the museum inherited the imperial royal palaces from the Ming and Qing dynast ...

before the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...

. Moreover, the scholar Hu Daojing (胡道静) added a preface detailing Chen Yuanjing's life and the contents of the edition of the Shilin Guangji.

Other versions

Since the Yuan dynasty, the book has been reprinted many times: *

Peking University Peking University (PKU) is a Public university, public Types of universities and colleges in China#By designated academic emphasis, university in Haidian, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of the Peop ...

library collection: Yuan dynasty

Toghon Temür Toghon Temür (; Mongolian script: ; ; 25 May 1320 – 23 May 1370), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Huizong of Yuan (; ), bestowed by the Northern Yuan, Northern Yuan dynasty, and by his posthumous name as t ...

reign (1340, Zhiyuan Gengchen 至元庚辰), Zheng family Jichengtang edition (郑氏积诚堂刊本) *

National Palace Museum The National Palace Museum, also known as Taipei Palace Museum, is a national museum headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan. Founded in Beijing in 1925, the museum was re-established in Shilin District, Shilin, Taipei, in 1965, later expanded with a S ...

: Yuan Wenzong

(r. 1330–1333, Zhishun 至顺) from the Jian'an Chunzhuang Academy (建安椿庄书院) * 1990 edition from Shanghai Chinese classics publishing house (上海古籍出版社): photocopied text from Hekeben leishu jicheng (和刻本类书集成), including a Japanese translation of Yesün Temür's (元泰定) addendum made during the 12th year of the

Genroku was a after Jōkyō and before Hōei. The Genroku period spanned the years from September 1688 to March 1704. The reigning emperor was .Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). ''Annales des empereurs du japon'', p. 415. The period was known for its peace and ...

era (1699 元禄) * In October 1998, it was reprinted and published by the Zhonghua Book Company

References

External links

ctext

Worldcat
{{Authority control Encyclopedias in Chinese Chinese culture Yuan dynasty literature Sinology Chinese literature 13th-century encyclopedias Mongolian literature Leishu Chinese cuisine Chinese cookbooks