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Ancient wisdom and knowledge on display
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ANCIENT books have always been cherished by Chinese historians as they have recorded the country’s history, literature, medical science, agriculture and social development. Those dating back thousands of years are especially valued by museums because they are also a reflection of the country’s printing history.
Zhejiang Province had been the center of publishing since woodblock printing became popular. However, numerous ancient books had been ruined during various wars, which in return made the ones that survived even more valuable.
The central government began protection work in 2007 to ensure such books are kept in good condition for future generations. After a series of evaluations, it announced a list of protected ancient books in 2008, which included 753 from Zhejiang.
Two hundred of these ancient books are now on display in Zhejiang Library through November 30. The books are owned by museums across the province.
The books are divided into woodblock and movable-type printing varieties, while the latter is subdivided into clay and bronze types.
Woodblock printing matured during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and boomed in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. Along with social development, techniques became more exquisite and colorful, which enriched ancient books.
Clay-type printing was a sophisticated process and only a small number of books were printed this way. They are rarer but a couple are on display at the exhibition.
The quality of an ancient book was linked with the cost from a printer; the more he invested, the better a book would be.
However, regardless of whether movable-type or woodblock printing was used, top-notch ancient books mainly came from the imperial court, which usually established a specific department to print books.
Printing styles usually varied according to different dynasties.
Ming Dynasty books featured big characters and superb ink. Books produced in the Qing Dynasty were characterized by tasteful binding and layout, delicate carving skills and quality ink. Today, they still occupy a vital status in the history of printing technology.
Generally, an author would rework his or her book a few times after it was printed. They would delete some sentences or add a few comments, which to some extent reflected changes in thought processes. Thus ancient books can be used to research ideological and political developments.
In old times, books were the main medium to convey knowledge; which led to a Chinese old saying “there is a gold house in a book.”
“Ce Yuan Hai Jing” is one of the exhibit’s highlights. It was printed in 1248. Author Li Ye explored geometry through X equation. The idea was about 300 years ahead of the Europeans.
In agricultural books published in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), authors used illustrations to teach farmers how to apply tools and grow crops.
In the meantime, Buddhist scriptures were recorded in ancient books. They were often written on special dark blue paper with gold ink and included auspicious prayers for the imperial family. Such books were also placed in pagodas for worshipping.
Other ancient books covered topics like the country, cities and family histories.
When a new dynasty gained power, the new court would go to great lengths to record the merits of the former empire. With regard to cities, local authorities would record folklore and social developments every 10 years. As for families, Chinese people had a tradition of depicting their genealogy for centuries.
Some of the exhibited ancient books are from the original Hangzhou Wenlan Scroll Pavilion, which was built in the early Qing Dynasty on Solitary Hill. The pavilion was destroyed during the Taiping Rebellion although one fourth of its collection survived. The pavilion was rebuilt in 2013 and reopened to visitors.
Date: Through November 30, 9am-5pm (closed on Monday)
Venue: Zhejiang Library, 73 Shuguang Rd
Admission: Free
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