Other RareBooks in National Palace Museum

Welcome to the National Palace Museum's collection of rare books from imperial China! Here, you can explore some of the most incredible documents from this period, including the Vast Documents of the Yung-lo Era, the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries, and the Illustrated Tributes to the Imperial Ch'ing. These texts provide us with a unique insight into Chinese culture during this time, and they are all incredibly ornate and detailed. Come take a look at these amazing artifacts today and learn more about the history of China!

1. Vast Documents of the Yung-lo Era

The "Vast Documents of the Yung-lo Era" is a Ming dynasty encyclopedia compiled by Jie Jin, et. al The encyclopedia was compiled in 1403, not long after the founding of the Ming dynasty, and was completed in 1406.

2. Complete Library of the Four Treasuries

The "Complete Library of the Four Treasuries" is a collection of major literary works produced in China over successive dynasties. It comprises over 3,400 titles bound in more than 36,000 volumes. These are arranged into four main sections--classical writings, histories, philosophical texts, and literature, which themselves are divided into several sub-categories. The "Complete Library of the Four Treasuries" is a collection of major literary works produced in China over successive dynasties It comprises over 3,400 titles bound in more than 36,000 volumes These are arranged into four main sections--classical writings, histories, philosophical texts, and literature, which themselves are divided into several sub-categories Among the included works are assembled editions, palace works, imperial selections, books in general circulation, titles presented to the emperor, and the "Yung-lo ta-tien" (Vast Documents of the Yung-lo Era) Officials of the Library of the Four Treasuries collated and classified each work, selecting rare books and manuscripts among them and adding textual criticisms according to a tradition of exacting standards The Complete Library of the Four Treasuries was originally compiled to reconstruct lost works from the "Vast Documents of the Yung-lo Era" The Qianlong Emperor issued a decree in early 1772 to assemble in the capital rare books from all parts of the country and build a library for their preservation. The greater part of the project was completed in During this 15-year period, seven sets of the collection were copied by more than 3,800 scholars One set was kept at the imperial palace Wen-yuan Pavilion in Peking, and the others were preserved at the Shenyang imperial palace Wen-su Pavilion, Jehol Mountain Resort Wen-chin Pavilion in Ch'eng-teh, Yuan-ming Garden

3. Illustrated Tributes to the Imperial Ch'ing

This text in nine chapters was compiled by Fuheng, Dong Gao, and others, and it was illustrated by Men Ch'ing-an and others. The text is divided geographically, the first chapter dealing with foreign lands such as Korea, Ryuku, Annam, England, and France. The second chapter deals with the areas of Tibet, Ili, and Kazakh. The third involves Kuan-tung, Fukien, Hunan, and Taiwan. The fourth mentions Kwangtung and Kwanghsi. The fifth deals with Kansu, the sixth Sichuan, the seventh Yunnan, the eighth Kweichow, and the ninth illustrations added after 1763. In addition, in 1805, five illustrations dealing with Vietnam were added at the end of the ninth chapter. Altogether, there are more than 300 illustrations of peoples in this text, each including a representative male and female figure, making for a total of approximately 600. Following each illustration is explanatory text that is easy to understand, providing an abstract of the people and their relation to the Qing court as well as the customs of the lands from which they came. Since the Qianlong Emperor ordered in 1751 that administrators throughout the land as well as those with contacts with foreigners provide illustrations of the appearance and clothing of different people, the illustrations here deal mostly with appearances and also emphasize their expressions. The records in this text also deal with first-hand accounts of these people, making for a reasonably accurate description of the traditions, customs, and geography. Fuheng, style name Chunhe, had the surname Fucha and was a Manchu Yellow Bannerman. He was the younger brother of the Qianlong Emperor.