Illustrations and
Explanations on Correct Cultivation
Ming
dynasty (1368�1644), Wanli period (1573�1619)
Compiled
by Jiao Hong (1541�1620; jinshi of 1589); explanatory text by Wu
Jixu; illustrated by Ding Yunpeng (1547�ca. 1628); engraved by Huang Qi
Nanjing,
Jiangsu Province: Kuibi zhai, 1594
10
columns per half folio; 20 or 21 characters per column; white folding margin at
center of folio; single-line borders; overall dimensions of volumes: 30.1 x
19.5 cm; block sizes of text: approx. 24.0 x 16.3 cm; stitched binding
Inventory number: 16750
Jiao
Hong, a prominent member of the Taizhou school of Neo-Confucian philosophy, was
appointed as a lecturer in 1593 to Zhu Changluo (1582�1620), the eldest son and
eventual heir apparent of the Wanli emperor (r. 1573�1619).� The Yangzheng tujie, an illustrated compendium
of 60 maxims and exemplary deeds of past imperial heirs apparent, was expressly
compiled for Zhu Changluo's moral instruction.�
It was presented to the throne in 1597 but was never actually used by
the prince owing to the jealousy and opposition of Jiao's fellow lecturers, who
believed that he had compiled the book in order to curry favor at court.
The
Yangzheng
tujie features pictorial compositions by the painter Ding
Yunpeng.� The first edition of 1593 was
printed by Wang Yunpeng's "Wanhu xuan" in Xin'an, Anhui.� This copy was published the following year
by the "Kuibi zhai" belonging to the bookseller Zheng Siming in
Nanjing, with engravings by Huang Qi.�
The full-page woodblock pictures are among the most complex and
sophisticated examples of Chinese book illustration up to this moment.
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