The Late-Qing Illustrated Shujing from the Sinology Department of the Institute for Scientific Information on Social Sciences at the Russian Academy of Sciences

Abstract

The article deals with the 1905 lithographic illustrated edition of Shujing tu shuo (The Book of Historical Documents with Illustrations and Commentary). This edition of the ancient Confucian Classics is rather special, since it was designed as a comic book implementing principles of “explanation through pictures”. The canonical Ancient Chinese text is available in the book but is greatly simplified for the unprepared reader. The comments explain the engraved line drawings following and representing separate portions of the canonical text. Being the last official Qing edition of Shujing, it was destined to become a popular version of the Confucian classic. It was to be used as a textbook in all public provincial schools. It is noteworthy that illustrations contain some motifs that do not belong to the canonical text of Shujing, but were borrowed from Chinese mythology and popular literature. In 1905, when Shujing tushuo saw the light of day the civil service examination system, based upon Confucian orthodoxy, was abolished in China. We deal with a new interpretation of the canonical Confucian text in quite a peculiar form addressed to a much broader readership. This article is to demonstrate inconsistency of the conventional thesis of rigidity of the official Confucian orthodoxy in Qing Empire. Inquiry into imagery and textual contents of this edition and their interaction could throw light on the ideological, political and social causes and motives behind the new Qing version of classical Shujing. That could provide grounds for judging on transition from the traditional to modern consciousness in China at the beginning of the 20 th century.