Data Collection Practices for Compiling Confucian School Library Book Lists in Ming and Qing Local Gazetteers

Abstract

Local gazetteers are a key source for Chinese history, but relatively little is known about how compilers obtained the information they presented in their finished works. Examining data collection practices for gazetteers is not only important to understanding the production processes and contents, but also can shed light on a variety of questions related to locality and geographical knowledge in imperial China. Tensions between standardization and localization may be revealed, the politics of geographical knowledge can be highlighted, and who was served by geographical knowledge may be shown through analysis of collection practices. This article explores data collection for Confucian school library book lists in the Ming and Qing and argues that list data came from various sources: accounting registers, on-site inspections, transcriptions of stelae and wooden plaques that recorded book acquisitions, other gazetteers, and court publications. List compilers approached their lists in different ways and lists could be comprehensive, selective, or normative in nature.