Book/Printed Material Huang Ming jiu bian kao : shi juan 皇明九邊考 : 十卷 / / Jiu bian tu kao / Jiu bian kao
About this Item
Title
- Huang Ming jiu bian kao : shi juan
Other Title
- 皇明九邊考 : 十卷 /
- Jiu bian tu kao
- Jiu bian kao
Summary
- The author of this important work on the history and geography of the Ming dynasty, Wei Huan, received his jin shi degree in 1529, and took up a number of posts. He wrote the work during the time when he was a secretary of the Bureau of Military Organization of the Regions. During the Jiajing reign of the Ming dynasty (1522-66), there was military tension between China and the Mongols. A number of officials began to write about the northern frontiers, based on important records, archives, and intelligence reports gathered at the Ministries of War and Revenue, as well as on memorials and works by other Ming authors, and on these officials' own experiences. Even after their success in breaking the Mongols' hold on China, the Chinese remained vigilant about the constant threat on the northern frontiers. The government established the so-called nine borders at Liaodong, Jizhou, Xuanfu, Datong, Shanxi, Yulin, Ningxia, Guyuan, and Gansu in present-day Shanxi, Gansu, and Ningxia Provinces. The work first gives an overview of the "nine borders," with ten maps, followed by descriptions of each of the nine locations. It contains ample details on historical background, geographical features and territories, and distances between the towers, passes, and post stages. Other subjects covered include protection of the frontiers, troops, tax revenues, tribes on the frontiers, and planning and controlling of the borders. Wei Huan's work was well received by his contemporaries and was generally accepted by later authors. The significance of the work was the combination of text with maps. It was a Jiajing edition, probably dating from around 1541-44, as the original date of publication was 1541. This copy has a 1542 date, and it was later rebound and collated. World Digital Library.
- Wei Yanyi mentioned in an annotation at the end of the book that it was compiled by an ancestor who was "xian Sima in charge of the three sides of the frontier". Later people believed that the author of this book was Wei Huan. However, this book is not the first edition and the style of commentary differs from that of Wei Huan. "Sima", the ancestor of Yanyi, could not be Wei Huan, who had never been in charge of three sides of the frontier. The original title was Bing bu zhi fang qing li si zhu shi Changsha Wei Huan bian ji. The most recent postscript by, Zhao Mingfeng, is dated 1544; notes appear in red ink.
Names
- Wei, Huan, jin shi 1529, bian ji.
- Wei, Yanyi, ti zhi.
- Chinese Rare Book Collection (Library of Congress)
Created / Published
- [China : s.n., Ming Jiajing 23 nian, 1544]
Headings
- - Shi bu--Zheng shu lei--Jun zheng
- - China--Boundaries
- - China--Historical geography
- - China--History--Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644
- - 史部--政書類--軍政
Notes
- - Also available in digital form.
- - In case.
- - 原題：「兵部職方清吏司主事長沙魏煥編集」。卷末有題記云：九邊圖考四冊，乃先司馬總制三邊時所批閱也。當日忠心體國，審時度勢，即此亦可略見一斑。迄今百八十年，雖邊幅磨滅，而朱色宛然。貽恐歷久散失，己亥夏五，〓之吳門，裝潢成帙，收藏以示子孫。使知祖宗片楮滴墨，皆當保護，一開卷而追慕前人，能不於此動祖述之感！康熙壬寅中元前三日宗子燕貽敬識。」題名下鈐「臣燕貽」，「伯翼」兩印記，封面黏貼燕貽手題書檢云：「九邊圖攷魏氏收藏」，則燕貽姓魏氏。不知其所謂「先司馬」者即魏煥否？跋文寫於康熙六十一年，上溯一百八十年，適為嘉靖二十一年，為是書刻成後之次年。然此本不是初印，又批語非魏煥口吻，且魏煥未嘗總制三邊，則燕貽之「先司馬」，定非魏煥也。張環(跋)嘉靖二十一年 (1542)，蔡纘(序)嘉靖二十年 (1541)，董策(跋)嘉靖二十年 (1541)，趙鳴鳳(跋)嘉靖二十三年 (1544).
- - 嘉靖二十三年(1544)趙鳴鳳"跋".
- - 框22.4 x 15.8公分, 9行22字, 黑口, 四周雙邊, 單黑魚尾, 版心中鐫"九邊考"及卷次.
- - 有康熙壬寅(61年, 1722)燕貽"題識".
Medium
- 8 v. : maps ; 30 cm.
Call Number/Physical Location
- DS753
Library of Congress Control Number
- 2001708572
Online Format
- image