Ming-Qing Documents

Private writings

The rubric "private writings" is somewhat misleading, as many of the materials found in an official's collected writings (see wenji below) were in fact "public." But the materials described below all share the same characteristic in that they were published privately (that is, not by the government) and for that reason are generally referred to as "private writings." The main types of private writings include collected writings, letters, diaries, so-called random jottings, and unofficial histories. Because much of their content is personal and full of opinion (as opposed to recitations of events), such materials offer an important supplement to the sorts of things one can expect to find in official sources like the Shilu. The different genres are treated individually below.

Collected writings

"Collected writings" is the English translation of the term wenji 文集, meaning a published work gathering together all (or at least a very significant proportion) of the known extant writings of a single individual. Thus the titles of most wenji - which also go by such names as quanji 全集, wengao 文稿, shenggao 剩稿, leigao 類稿, wencun 文存, wenchao 文鈔, yishu 遺書, yiji 遺集, etc. - begin with the name of the author, usually his studio, style, or posthumous name, e.g., Zuo Wenxiang gong quanji 左文襄公全集, but some modern editions dispense with this nicety, resulting in a collection titled simply, Zuo Zongtang quanji 左宗棠全集. Not all wenji are historical in content; many (even most?) are literary, and for men who served in office, the distinction between these is not always clear-cut. You can usually count on the fact that anyone with a prominent official record will have published, or will have had published for him, a wenji, which may well contain items of interest for the historian, and many not-very-well-known figures may also have left a wenji. It's always worth checking, since an official may have a more complete set of the memorials and reports he wrote than the government managed to collect and keep, or that archivists have managed to locate and publish. In that connection, the biographical profiles in MQNAF often will list the title(s) of an official's collected works at the bottom of the page.

In using wenji, it is advisable to learn a little about how the edition you are using was compiled. It is often the case that wenji were in fact compiled, not by the author himself, but by the author's children, friends, students, former associates, or people from the same hometown. Depending on how much time had elapsed between the author's death and the appearance of his wenji, the editors may not have known the author at all. Whether or not the author himself was involved, one must always be alert to the possibility that some things may have been omitted for the sake of embellishing (or at least not tarnishing) someone's historical reputation. If there are various editions of wenji, it may be worthwhile to compare their contents to establish what, if anything, has been added or taken away, either in terms of entire documents, or phrases within individual pieces of writing. For more information on the history of wenji compilation practices in the Qing, see He Mingxing 何明星, Zhushu yu zongzu 著述与宗族 : 清人文集编刻方式的社会学考察, Beijing: Zhonghua Shuju, 2007. 

From the late Ming onward, more and more women's writings were also compiled, published and read by the general public. Male family members, tutors (as in the case of the famous mid-Qing poet and scholar Yuan Mei 袁枚 in Suiyuan nüdizi shixuan 隨園女弟子詩選) and publishers were actively involved in the wenji compilation and publishing for female writers. So, it is important to keep alert to male influences on the women's writings that have survived.

There are various ways in which wenji may be organized, and you will need to familiarize yourself with the layout of whatever collection you find by looking at the table of contents and fanli. In general (and restricting ourselves to the sort of wenji the historian is likely to examine), the following categories are represented:

1. Memorials 奏疏 and official writings 公文.
2. Commentaries and essays 論 or 說.
3. Notes 記.
4. Obituaries and memorial writings 墓誌, 哀辭, 祭文.
5. Prefaces 序 and colophons 跋.
6. Personal letters 書, 尺牘, 扎.
7. Poetry 詩詞.
8. Family instructions 家訓.
9. Miscellaneous writings 雜著, 雜文.

Within each section, items are typically ordered chronologically, but it may require some detective work to determine precise dates.

The most common categories of Women's writings in the Qing are prefaces 序 and colophons 跋, personal letters 書, 尺牘, 扎, instructions 家訓, miscellaneous writings 雜著, 雜文 and above all, poetry 诗辞 and verse novel弹词. 

There are different ways to locate wenji. One way is simply to look under the name of the author in an online library catalogue; but if your library does not own the book, you may need to consult one of the different printed catalogues of collected writings (in the traditional taxonomy, wenji may be grouped together under the zi 子 or ji 集 headings). Or, as mentioned above, consult the biographical information of the person you're interested in on MQNAF (assuming that they served in office).

Qingren bieji zongmu 清人別集總目. Li Lingnian and Yang Zhong, eds. Anhui jiaoyu, 2000. 

Lists approximately 40,000 titles covering 20,000 people, including women writers in Lidai Funv Zhuzuo Kao 歷代婦女著作考.

Qingren wenji bielu 清人文集別錄. Zhang Shunhui, ed. Zhonghua, 1963. Reprinted 2004.

Covers writings of approximately 670 people from the Qing dynasty.

Qingren shiwenji zongmu tiyao 清人詩文集總目提要. Ke Yuchun, ed. Beijing guji, 2002.

Lists around 20,000 titles of poems.

Qingren wenji dililei huibian 清人文集地理類彙編. Tan Qixiang, ed. Zhejiang renmin, 1986.

This collection contains more than 300 pieces of Qing writings on Chinese geography, the names of the place cover the entire empire.  

Qingdai wenji pianmu fenlei suoyin 淸代文集篇目分類索引. Wang Zhongmin and Yang Dianxun, eds. Beijing tushuguan, 2003 (1935).

This collection contains more than 400 Qing writings by the most prominent Qing scholars with a short introductory bibliography of each of them. This is said to be a very useful tool for academic writings. 

Nihon genson Shinjin bunshū mokuroku 日本現存清人文集目錄. Nishimura Genshō, ed. Kyoto, 1972.

Lists writings of about 2,650 people.

Nihon genzon Minjin bunshū mokuroku 日本現存明人文集目錄. Rev. and enlarged edition. Yamane Yukio, ed. Tokyo, 1978.

This collection contains more than 5000 pieces of writing by Ming scholars. 

Jindai mingren shouzha zhenji 近代名人手札真蹟. Wang Ermin and Chen Sanwei, comps. 9 vols. Hong Kong: Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1987.

Includes facsimile letters of members of the nobility, such as Rong lu and Zaize; distinguished mandarins such as Sun Jianai and Wang Wenshao; provincial officials such as Zeng Guoquan and Duan Fang; leading statesmen such as Li Hongzhang and Zhang Zhidong; important diplomats such as Xue Fucheng and Wu Tingfang; powerful militarists such as Ding Ruchang and Nie Shicheng; prominent reformers such as Liang Qichao and Tan Sitong; influential businessmen such as Tang Tingshu and Liang Shiyi; famous painters such as Wu Changshi and Yang Xian. Also includes letters of Yuan Shikai and Xu Shichang.

Qingdai shiwenji huibian 清代詩文集彙編. Shanghai: Shanghai guji chubanshe, 2010.

Consists of 800 volumes with a reprint of 4058 items by more than 3000 writers. A catalog of this reprint series can be found here.

Female writings: 

To locate female writings, besides the catalogues above, you may also consult one of anthologies below. Note that many women writings were not published independently, but rather "appended" (fulu 附錄) to the collections of their husbands. 

Xie fang ji 擷芳集. Wang Qishu ed. Wang qishu feihongtang, 1774. 

This collection contains writings of more than 2000 Qing females, henceforth provides readers with a great gateway to have a glimpse of the life, emotions and minds of literate women in Qing.  

Guochao guixiu zhengshi ji 國朝閨秀正始集. Rev. and enlarged edition. Wanyan Huizhu, ed.  1831-1836.

This collection contains over 1700 poems by more than 900 Qing female poets, who had various other occupations–ranging from nuns to entertainers. For more on the editor of this collection, be sure to consult the 1997 monograph by Susan Mann, Precious Records, which makes extensive use of this source. 

Guochao guixiushi liuxuji 國朝閨秀詩柳絮集校補. Huang Zhimo bian ji ; Fu Qiong jiao bu. Renmin wenxye chubanshe, 2011.  

This is by far the largest existing collection of poems written by Qing female poets. In total 1949 female poets had their poems listed here. 

Diaries

Qing-era diaries can be roughly divided into two categories based upon the general state of the diarist: “at rest” and “on the go.” “At rest” diaries come in several types. For example, there is the “Confucian” diary of Zeng Guofan, which he kept as a habit of self-cultivation and self-discipline. There are diaries kept by high officials with access to the imperial court, in which we can get a glimpse of both daily business and more important matters, as well as a take on the personalities involved. And there are the diaries kept by scholars, consisting largely of essays on philosophical issues, interpretations of the classics, poetry, reading notes, and much more. Few diaries actually conform strictly to one of these types; more often then not elements of all three are incorporated into a diary.

“On the go” diaries were kept by Qing officials during tenures in areas distant from both capital and native place. As such, they often comprise elements of both travel notes and official diaries. Prior to the mid-nineteenth century, such diaries generally concern journeys to distant provinces like Shaanxi, Yunnan, Guangxi, or the western frontier. During the second half of the nineteenth century, when China began sending diplomatic ministers to Europe, these ministers also kept diaries that can provide not only important information about the early days of Chinese diplomacy with the West but also about Chinese impressions of the West. A large number of these “on the go” diaries (as well as other travel notes, jottings, etc.) were collected during the 1880s and 1890s by Wang Xiqi 王錫麒 into a congshu entitled Xiaofanghuzhai yudi congchao 小方壺齋輿地叢鈔, which is organized geographically starting first with areas of China, then bordering Asian countries, and finally, Europe and the United States. To find Ming and Qing diaries, use the indexes mentioned in Wilkinson, 9.8; cf. also Wilkinson 66.4.2.4.

Zhang Penghe (1649-1725): Fengshi Eluosi riji 奉使俄羅斯日記. Shanghai: Shenzhou Guoguang she 1946.

Covers 5-9/1688, when this later expert in river conservancy was sent to settle a boundary dispute with the Russians. It covers their travel as far as Outer Mongolia, where the group was prevented from proceeding further.

Meng Chaoran (1731-1797). Shi Yue riji 使粤日記, 2 juan. Shi Shu ji 使蜀日記, 5 juan. Vols. 11 and 12 in Yiyuan ting quanji 亦園亭全集.

The first diary was kept while he served as assistant examiner in Guangxi, ca. 1765. The second diary was written during his service as the director of education in Sichuan, ca. 1769. He wrote the last one after returning home in Fujian Province. 

Wang Chang (1725-1806). Shujiao jiwen 蜀徼紀聞. Zheng Mian jiwen 征緬紀聞. Vols. 8 and 10 of Xiaofanghuzhai yudi congchao 小方壺齋輿地叢鈔.

This high-level capital official was dismissed from office for divulging state secrets but allowed to redeem himself beginning in 1768 by serving as secretary to Agui and Wen fu, who served successive terms as governor-general of Yunnan and Guizhou. While there he took part in the campaigns against Burma (1769) and the Jinchuan rebels in Sichuan (1772-76). These diaries cover the period from 1768 to 1776.

Zeng Jize (1839-1890). Zeng Jize riji 曾紀澤日記. Changsha: Yuelu shushe chuban, 1998.

This is a collection of the writings of Zeng Jize, Zeng Guofan's son, who served as ambassador to England and France and participated in the Ili negotations during the period from 1878 to 1885. The collection is divided into four parts: memorials, collected writings, poetry, and a journal that runs from 1878 to 1885. Each section has a table of contents, and each document is carefully explained and dated. Also published as Zeng hou riji, 1881.

Zhang Jixing(1800-1878). Dao Xian huanhai jianwen lu 道咸宦海見聞錄. Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1981.

A composite work consisting mainly of the autobiography (ziding nianpu) of Zhang Jixing (1800 1878), who served in the Hanlin Academy after getting his jinshi in 1829 and became a favored provincial official under the Daoguang emperor, serving as prefect, provincial judge, and eventually governor in provinces like Shanxi, Fujian, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Gansu, Zhili, and Jiangxi. He retired in 1865. The work, which is remarkably vivid, was discovered in the holdings of the Institute of Modern History in Beijing in 1955. In addition to the 320 pages of autobiography, there is also Zhang's diary for the years 1863 1865 and a collection of 42 of his letters.

Zhang Deyi (1847-1918). Suishi riji 隨使日記. In vol. 11 of Xiaofanghuzhai yudi congchao.

According to J.D. Frodsham, writing in The First Chinese Embassy to the West (which contains a translated excerpt), “Chang, who eventually became minister to England (1901-5) was a first class diarist, a born writer with a frivolous almost Pepysian interest in trivia for their own sake, which makes his work of absorbing interest to the social historian.”

Guo Songtao (1818-1891). Shixi jicheng 使西記程. Hong Kong: Sanlian shudian (Xianggang) youxian gongsi, 1998.

This is the journal Guo kept from his departure from Shanghai (Dec. 2, 1877) to his arrival in England (Jan. 21, 1877). It was banned by order of the Empress Dowager. See also Guo Songtao riji 郭嵩焘日記 (Changsha, 1980); and Lundun yu Bali riji 倫敦與巴黎日記 (ed. Zhong Shuhe. Changsha: Yuelu shushe, 1984).

Xue Fucheng (1838-1894). Chunshi Ying-Fa-Yi-Bi siguo riji 出使英法義比四國日記. 6 juan. Beijing: Beijing Ai ru sheng Shuzihua jishu yanjiu Zhongxin, 2009.

Covers period from 31 January 1890 through 8 April 1891, when Xue was serving as minister to Britain, France, Italy, and Belgium. The high point of Xue's diplomatic career was the signing of a treaty with Britain over the boundaries of Burma and Tibet (1894).

Dzengseo (active 1680-81)., Suijun jixing yizhu 隨軍紀行譯注. Ji Yonghai ed., Beijing: Central Minorities Institute, 1987.

A Chinese translation, romanization with word-for-word translation, and facsimile of the 78-page Manchu text: “Beye i cooha bade yabuha babe ejehe bithe.” The text is a memoir by a capital bannerman named Dzengšeo relating the progress of the Qing army from western Guangdong across Guangxi to Yuannanfu to fight Wu Sangui's grandson, Wu Shifan, in December 1681. All but the last chapter of the memoir have been lost, but what remains is a particularly vivid account of the difficulties of a Manchu bannerman on campaign. There is a complete English-language translation: Nicola Di Cosmo, The Diary of a Manchu Soldier in Seventeenth-century China: "My service in the Army" (Routledge, 2006).

Li Tangjie (1798-1865). Li Wenqing gong riji 李文清公日記. 16 vol. 1915.

Covers the period from 1834 to 1865. Li, considered a serious and orthodox scholar and an upright and conservative official, served in many posts in Peking. According to Hummel, Li's diary “is replete with lofty sentiments designed to master human passions. It also contains occasional references to current affairs.”

Weng Tonghe(1830-1904). Weng Wengong gong riji 翁文恭公日記. Shanghai, 1925. (Taipei, 1970 edition includes index).

Weng Tonghe served in a number of prominent posts in the government, including the presidency of the Board of Revenue from 1886 to 1892.

Li Ciming (1830-1894). Yuemantang riji 越縵堂日記. 51 vols. Hongkong: Dadong Tushu Gongsi, 1977.

Written by one of the most respected writers of the late Qing period, this diary covers one of the longest periods, from 1863 to 1888. “Apart from being a record of personal and national events, it contains his elucidations of the classics, identifications and verifications of historical data, notes on his readings, critical appraisals of notable personages, and many poems and short essays.” Several volumes of excerpts have also been compiled, and there is also an index.

Random jottings (biji 筆記)

The origins of this genre of writing – essentially collections of reading notes and tidbits of knowledge one has acquired – date at least to the Six Dynasties. Biji grew in popularity in the Song and Ming, and flourished in the Qing. Titles often contain the words biji, suibi, or zaji (there is a great range), which are variously translated as “random jottings,” “miscellaneous records,” or “desultory notes.” Their contents vary from study notes and thoughtful essays to corrections of errors in the official histories. Some relate interesting facts, fantastic tales, or administrative histories; others describe the minutiae of life in a particular city; others merely set down rumors and hearsay. In any case, they frequently provide information not available elsewhere; and because they lack an overt “agenda,” one need not worry that they are meant to reflect an official line (this is not to say that they are all 100% truthful!). There is no set formula or length.

The following works are useful for background information on the genre, and for finding out what is there:

The Indiana companion to traditional Chinese literature 2vol. William Nienhauser, Jr., ed. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1986.

The two volumes contain more than 560 entries on famous writers, works, and genres of traditional Chinese literature. This two-volume serves as a handbook for scholars and students of traditional Chinese literature.

Lidai biji gaishu 歷代筆記概述. Liu Yeqiu.  Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1980 (reprint, 2011).

This book lists in a chronological order of the best biji of each of the dynasties, starting from Pre-Tang period to the end of the Qing dynasty. 

Ming-Qing biji tancong 明清筆記談叢. 2nd ed. Xie Guozhen. Shanghai: Shanghai guji, 1981.

This book contains nearly 50 biji of Late Imperial China. Because these works are not the most prominent ones, the compiler henceforth gives each of the authors a short introduction, briefly summarizes the content and how such works were circulated. 

Qingren biji tiaobian 清人筆記條辨. Zhang Shunhui. Beijing: Xinhua shuju, 1986.

This is a commentary to many of the biji works of Qing. 

Qingdai biji congkan 清代筆記叢刊. 160 vols. Shanghai: Wenming shuju, 1936.

Contains 41 Qing titles. There is a table of contents in vol.1, pp. 787-788.

Saeki Tomi. Chūgoku zuihitsu sakuin 中國隨筆索引. Kyoto Tōbunken, 1954.

This is a catalogue for Japanese users to get familiar with biji. 

Saeki Tomi. Chūgoku zuihitsu zatsusho sakuin 中國隨筆雑著索引. Kyoto Tōbunken, 1960.

Together the two indexes by Saeki Tomi index chapter headings, key words, and important nouns found in 206 biji from all periods. A genuine concordance by Japanese pronunciation, and by stroke order as well. Gives work and juan, though not page number. Coverage is incomplete, based mainly on items found in the Kyoto University kanseki 漢籍 collection.

 

In the 1950s, Zhonghua shuju began publishing an extensive series of punctuated reprints in complex characters, Qingdai shiliao biji congkan 清代史料筆記叢刊. These were reissued in the early 1980s and again in the 1990s and 2000s. Most of the best-known Qing biji have appeared in this series, including some in the following list:

Langqian jiwen chubi/ erbi/ sanbi/ sibi 郎潛紀聞初筆二筆三筆四筆, 14+16+12+11 juan. 1880-1886. Chen Kangqi. Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1984.

Dunyin zalu 鈍吟雜錄. Feng Ban. Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 2013.

Tingyu congtan 聽雨叢談, 12 juan. ca. 1860. Fu-ge. Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1984.

Buxiadai bian 不下帶編; Jinxiang shuo 巾箱說. Jin Zhi. Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1982.

Langji congtan/ xutan/ santan 浪跡叢談, 續談, 三談, 11+8+6 juan. 1846-1857. Liang Zhangju.  Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1981.

Guangyang zaji 廣陽雜記, 5 juan. 1691. Liu Xianting. Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1957.

Beiyou lu 北游錄, 9 juan. Ca. 1600. Tan Qian. Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1997.

Shiqu yuji 石渠餘紀, 6 juan. 1850. Wang Qingyun. Beijing: Beijing guji, 1985.

Chibei outan 池北偶談, 29 juan. 1700.Wang Shizhen.  Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1982.

Fengan yuhua 分甘餘話. Wang Shizhen. Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1989.

Yangjizhai conglu 養吉齋叢錄, 26 juan. 1896. Wu Zhenyu. Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 2005.

Qingbai leichao 清稗類鈔. 1917. Xu Ke.  Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1984.

Guisi cungao 癸巳存稿, 15+1 juan. 1847. Yu Zhengxie. Shanghai: Shangwu, 1957.

Nianer shi zhaji 廿二史箚記, 36 juan. Zhao Yi. Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1963. (An annotated version by Wang Shumin was published in 1984, and a revised version in 2010.

Xiaoting zalu/xulu 嘯亭雜錄, 10+5 juan. 1814-1826. Zhao-lian. Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1980.

Online Resources

Kaifang Wenxue 開放文學

Zhonghua lidai biji quanji 中華歷代筆記全集

Ming Qing Women’s Writings 明清婦女著作

Unofficial histories (yeshi 野史)

The line between yeshi and official histories is clear enough: the former were privately printed, while the latter were printed at government expense. But the distinction between yeshi and other kinds of unofficial records like biji is often hard to discern. Perhaps the best guide is that yeshi tend to possess a historical (i.e., chronological) narrative or flow, while biji tend not to. Few true yeshi were printed in the Qing, but many appeared in the early years of the Republic.

Qingdai yeshi 清代野史. 4 vols. Gu Hongming, et al. Chengdu: Bashu shushe, 1998.

This is a collection of stories of the unofficial histories of the Qing that might have not appeared until the Republic period.  

Shuofang beisheng 朔方備乘, He Qiutao (1824-1862). Beijing: Beijing Ai ru sheng Shuzihua jishu yanjiu Zhongxin, 2009. 

This is a book about the history of Russia which He compiled based on a series of sources that he consulted. This is said to be written for the purpose of military preparation and defense purposes. 

Qingchao yeshi daguan 清朝野史大觀. 3 vols. Xiaohengxiangshi zhuren, comp. 1917. Yangzhou Shi: Jiangsu Guangling guji keyinshe, 1994.

This contains 5 volumes of unofficial historical stories and anecdotes of the Qing. The real identity of the compiler/author remains unknown.  

Yu Jin. Xichao xinyu 熙朝新語. Preface dated 1818. Shanghai: Shanghai guji shudian, 1983. 16 juan.

This is actually a collaborative history, written by Xu Xilin and Qian Yong in the early 19th century. It chronicles reign by reign the history of the dynasty down to the Jiaqing period. The printed version was published in 1823, but this edition has been corrected by comparing that version with the Jiaqing woodcut edition.

Fengtian bianwu jiyao 奉天邊務輯要. Li Tingyu. Taibei: Wenhai, 1978.

This is said to be written based on the fieldwork of Li Tingyv and Fu Jiang on the Qing-Korean border, and it played a significant role on the policies regarding the affairs at the border.

Shengwu ji 聖武記. Wei Yuan. Preface dated 1842.

One of the best-known historical accounts of the Qing, this is mainly a military history. Despite its obvious pro-government bias, this is an extremely valuable work, not least because outside of the (itself problematic) Kaiguo fanglue, it is one of the very few Qing-era chronicles of early Qing history.

Qing bai lei chao 清稗類鈔. Xu Ke. Beijing: Zhonghua Shuju, 1985.

This is an odd collection of over 13,000 fragments from unofficial histories covering the Shunzhi reign to the middle of Xuantong. Xu Ke and other like-minded scholars undertook this project towards the end of the Qing, and it was first published early in the Republic. A downside to this collection is that it does not note the sources of its snippets. Lots of salacious gossip here, so caveat lector!

Bibliography

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