Anthologies of Writings by Dong Qichang “Huachanshi suibi” from the Chinese Collection of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts, Russian Academy of Sciences

Abstract

The paper concentrates on the description of a written monument of Chinese aesthetic thought — the anthology “Notes from the Cabinet of Chan Painting” by the politician, artist, calligrapher and art theorist of the end of the Ming era (1368–1644) Dong Qichang (1555–1636). Two woodblock printed editions of this anthology dated 1720 and 1911 are preserved in the Chinese collection of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences and so far remain understudied. The paper considers the possible translations of the title of the book into the Russian and English languages, investigates the history of different publications of the monument, describes the formal features of block books, and conducts a comparative analysis of existing editions. The discovered textual discrepancies between different editions of the anthology make it clear that in the Qing era (1644–1912) “Notes” experienced the harmful influence of the “literary inquisition”, not having escaped the fate of many works of the Ming era. A textual and comprehensive analysis of several fragments shows that the earlier edition of 1720 has greater completeness and integrity. In addition, even a formal examination of the monument makes it possible to identify a whole range of historical problems, not related directly to aesthetic thought, which can be studied with the use of the “Notes” as a source. Such issues include the history of art collecting by Chinese nobles, the socio-economic and political development of late Ming China, the relationships between the Ming Empire and the Manchus, the problem of censorship in the Qing era, etc.