Page from the Yongle Encyclopedia

The Yongle Encyclopedia (traditional Chinese: 永樂大典; simplified Chinese: 永乐大典; pinyin: Yǒnglè Dàdiǎn; literally “The Great Canon [or Vast Documents] of the Yongle Era”) was a Chinese compilation commissioned by the Chinese Ming Dynasty emperor Yongle in 1403. It was then the world's largest known general encyclopedia, and one of the earliest. Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Traditional Chinese characters refers to one of two standard sets of printed Chinese characters. ... Simplified Chinese character (Simplified Chinese: or ; traditional Chinese: or ; pinyin: or ) is one of two standard sets of Chinese characters of the contemporary Chinese written language. ... Pinyin, more formally called Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... The Yongle Emperor (May 2, 1360–August 12, 1424), born Zhu Di, was the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty of China from 1402 to 1424. ... For other uses, see Ming. ... The Yongle Emperor (May 2, 1360–August 12, 1424), born Zhu Di, was the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty of China from 1402 to 1424. ... Events July 21 - Battle of Shrewsbury. ... Cyclopedia redirects here. ...

Development of the work

Two thousand scholars worked on the project under the direction of the Yongle Emperor (reigned 1402–24), incorporating eight thousand texts from ancient times up to the early Ming Dynasty. They covered an array of subjects, including agriculture, art, astronomy, drama, geology, history, literature, medicine, natural sciences, religion, and technology, as well as descriptions of unusual natural events. The Encyclopedia, which was completed in 1407 or 1408^[1] at Nanjing Guozijian (南京國子監; the ancient Nanjing University - Nanjing Imperial Central College), comprised 22,877 or 22,937^[1] manuscript rolls, or chapters in 11,095 volumes occupying 40 cubic metres (1400 ft³) and was designed to include all that had ever been written on the Confucian canon, history, philosophy, and the arts and sciences. It was a massive collation of excerpts and works from the mass of Chinese literature and knowledge. The Yongle Emperor (May 2, 1360 – August 12, 1424), born Zhu Di (Chu Ti) , was the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty of China from 1402 to 1424. ... For other uses, see Ming. ... This article is about the philosophical concept of Art. ... For other uses, see Astronomy (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Drama (disambiguation). ... This article includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... This article is about the study of the past in human terms. ... For other uses, see Literature (disambiguation). ... For the chemical substances known as medicines, see medication. ... The term natural science as the way in which different fields of study are defined is determined as much by historical convention as by the present day meaning of the words. ... By the mid 20th century humans had achieved a mastery of technology sufficient to leave the surface of the Earth for the first time and explore space. ... Nanjing University (南京大学, 南京大學, Pinyin: Nánjīng Dàxué; colloquially 南大, Pinyin Nándà) is one of the oldest higher education institutions in the world and became the first modern Chinese university in the early 1920s. ... Nanjing University (Chinese: 南京大學/南京大学; Pinyin: NánjÄ«ng Dàxué; colloquially 南大, Pinyin: Nándà) is located in Nanjing (Nanking), an ancient capital of China. ... For other uses, see Nanjing (disambiguation). ... Confucianism (儒家 Pinyin: rújiā The School of the Scholars), sometimes translated as the School of Literati, is an East Asian ethical, religious and philosophical system originally developed from the teachings of Confucius. ...

Transcription and disappearance

Because of the vastness of the work, it could not be block-printed, and it is thought that only one other manuscript copy was made. In 1557, under the supervision of the Emperor Jiajing, the Encyclopedia was narrowly saved from being destroyed by a fire which burnt down three palaces in the Forbidden City. Afterwards, Emperor Jiajing ordered the transcription of another copy of the Encyclopedia. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Woodblock printing. ... Events Spain is effectively bankrupt. ... Jiajing Emperor Birth and death: Sept. ... For other uses, see Forbidden City (disambiguation). ...

Fewer than 400 volumes of the three manuscript copies of the set survived into modern times. The original copy has disappeared from the historical record. The second copy was gradually dissipated and lost from the late-18th century onwards, until the roughly 800 volumes remaining were burnt in a fire started by Chinese forces attacking the neighboring British legation, or looted/rescued - depending on one's point of view - by the Eight-Nation Alliance forces during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. The surviving volumes are in libraries and private collections around the world. Military of the Powers during the Boxer Rebellion, with their naval flags, from left to right: Italy, United States, France, Austria-Hungary, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, Russia. ... Combatants Eight-Nation Alliance (ordered by contribution): Empire of Japan Russian Empire British Empire France United States German Empire Kingdom of Italy Austro-Hungarian Empire Righteous Harmony Society Qing Dynasty (China) Commanders Edward Seymour Alfred Graf von Waldersee Ci Xi Strength 20,000 initially 49,000 total 50,000-100... Äž: For the film, see: 1900 (film). ...

What happened to the original is not known. There are four hypotheses:

• It was destroyed in the 1449 fire in Nanjing.
• It was burnt in the Palace of Heavenly Purity (in the Forbidden City) during the reign of Qing Dynasty emperor Jiaqing.
• It was destroyed with Wenyuange (the Imperial library in the Forbidden City) at the end of the Ming Dynasty.
• It was hidden.

Some think that the Encyclopedia in fact disappeared at the death of Jiajing, having being taken by the emperor to his grave, and they believe that it will yet be found hidden in the tomb complex of Yongling. The Palace of Heavenly Purity, or Qianqing Palace (乾清宫) is a palace in the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. ... For other uses, see Forbidden City (disambiguation). ... Flag (1890-1912) Anthem Gong Jinou (1911) Qing China at its greatest extent. ... The Jiaqing Emperor (November 13, 1760 - September 2, 1820) was the sixth emperor of the Manchu Qing dynasty, and the fifth Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1796 to 1820. ... For other uses, see Forbidden City (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Ming. ... Jiajing Emperor Birth and death: Sept. ... For the New York prison see The Tombs. ...

A 100-volume portion was published in Chinese in 1962.

See also

• Gujin Tushu Jicheng
• Siku Quanshu

The Gujin tushu jicheng (古今圖書集成, Complete Collection of Illustrations and Writings from the Earliest to Current Times) is a vast encyclopaedic work written in China during the reigns of Qing emperors Kangxi and Yongzheng, completed in 1725. ... Siku quanshu (Traditional Chinese: 四庫全書; Simplified Chinese: 四库全书; pinyin: si4ku4 quan2shu1), or encyclopedia of the four archives, is the largest collection of Chinese philopsophers, historians, and poets in Chinese History. ...

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Yongle dadian." Encyclopædia Britannica. 20 February 2007.

The Encyclopædia Britannica is a general English-language encyclopaedia published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. ...

External links

• Cornell University article on the "Encyclopedia Maxima"
• Destruction of Chinese Books in the Peking Siege of 1900
• In Search of the Yongle Encyclopedia
• China to Digitalize World's Earliest Encyclopedia
• Image of a page of the yongle encyclopedia