Title

Modeling the Ancestors and Discoursing on Learning: The Publication of Ming Taizu’s Literary Collection - the Gao huangdi yuzhi wenji - and Its Significance from the Mid to Late Ming

Author

Kwok Ka Fai

Genre

Article

Pages

293-336

Download

PDF

Language

Chinese

Key words

Ming Taizu, Collected works of the emperor, the Jiajing reign period, discourses on learning

Abstract

   This article investigates the publication of various editions of Ming Taizu’s 明太祖literary collection during the Jiajing 嘉靖 (1522-1566) and Wanli 萬曆 (1573-1620) eras in order to reveal the impact upon the intellectual elite of the Great Rites Controversy and the Jiajing emperor’s ritual reforms. First, it shows that Ming Taizu’s literary collection was primarily bestowed to nobles and princes as a gift. Thus, most intellectuals did not have the opportunity to personally read the collection in the period immediately following its publication, and its content came to be disseminated via quotations found in Chiu Jun’s 丘濬 (1421-1495) works. The second section of the article explains how scholars like Zhan Ruoshui 湛若水 (1466-1560) made use of Taizu’s positions to support their doctrines. This led to his literary collection becoming closely related to discourses on learning during the late Ming, which in turn resulted in its being published in greater numbers. Third, it discusses the value of, and the relationships between, different editions of Taizu’s literary collection, and shows that content from unreliable sources came to be inserted into the text during the Wanli period. Finally, the article analyzes the impact of changes in political culture during the Jiajing era through an examination of the publication of Taizu’s literary collection and its influence on intellectual discourse.