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Annotated Anthology of Mr. [Su] Dongpo's Poems (Dongpo xiansheng shiji zhu 東坡先生詩集註), consisting of thirty-two juan 卷, collects and annotates poems written by Su Shi 蘇軾 (1037-1101; courtesy name 字 Zizhan 子瞻, literary name 號 Dongpo 東坡), a preeminent scholar, writer, poet, painter, calligrapher, and statesman in the Northern Song dynasty. Donated by Dr. Chow Tse-tsung 周策縱 (1916-2007), a world-famous scholar on the May Fourth Movement and The Dream of the Red Chamber (Hong lou meng 紅樓夢), USC's copy is the original edition published by Mao Wei 茅維 (1575-1640?; courtesy name 字 Xiaoruo 孝若), a historian, poet, and dramatist of the late Ming dynasty. The preface was dated 1606 (Bingwu year of the Wanli reign 萬曆丙午), which suggests that this book was probably printed during the later years of the Wanli reign (明萬曆間茅維刻本).

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The Collection of Songs among the Flowers 花間集四卷 (1620) 36
The Collection of Songs among the Flowers (Huajian ji 花間集) is the earliest extant anthology of poetry in China, which includes poems by literati poets in the late Tang Dynasty (618-907). The collection has been considered as the precursor to the Chinese ci 詞 poetry (song lyrics) of the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Donated by James Tang, USC's copy is an annotated edition by Tang Xianzhu 湯顯祖 (1550-1616), a prestigious Chinese playwright of the Ming dynasty who was contemporary with the renowned English dramatist William Shakespeare (1564-1616) and passed away in the same year. It was printed around 1620 according to the colophon (Gengshen year of the Wanli reign 萬曆庚申). This edition is an excellent example of two-color printing in black and red (朱墨套印) in the late Ming dynasty.
Donated by James Tang. Colophon date: 1620 (Gengshen year of the Wanli reign 萬曆庚申).

Further Reading:
- Shields, Anna M. Crafting a Collection: The Cultural Contexts and Poetic Practice of the Huajian ji (Collection from among the Flowers). Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2006.
- Tan, Tian Yuan, Paul Edmondson, and Shih-pe Wang, eds. 1616: Shakespeare and Tang Xianzu’s China. London: Bloomsbury Arden Shakespeare, 2016.
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Selected Poems by Su Shi 東坡詩選十二卷 (1621) Su Shi 蘇軾 (1037-1101; courtesy name 字 Zizhan 子瞻, literary name 號 Dongpo 東坡) was a preeminent scholar, writer, poet, painter, calligrapher, and statesman in the Northern Song dynasty. USC's copy is a selection of Su's poems by Tan Yuanchun 譚元春 (1586-1637; courtesy name 字 Youxia 友夏), a late Ming poet, writer, and literary critic who was one of the founders of the Jingling School (竟陵派).
Donated by Dr. Peter Marie Suski. Date/edition: 1621 (First year of the Tianqi reign 天啟元年) | 明天啟文盛堂刻本.
Selected Poems on Objects 咏物詩選八卷 (1725) This anthology of poems on objects was compiled by Yu Yan 俞琰 (active 18th century; courtesy name 字 Changren 長仁) around 1725 (Yisi year [of the Yongzheng reign] [雍正]乙巳) according to the colophon. It is a good example of early 18th-century printing. The ex libris seal on the caption title page (卷端頁) of this book is from the donor Dr. Chow Tse-tsung 周策縱 (1916-2007), a world-famous scholar on the May Fourth Movement and The Dream of the Red Chamber (Hong lou meng 紅樓夢).
Donated by Dr. Chow Tse-tsung. Date/edition: 1725 (Yisi year [of the Yongzheng reign] [雍正]乙巳) | 清雍正三年寧儉堂刻本.
Collected Works by Sima Guang
司馬文正公集八十二卷 (1744) Sima Guang 司馬光 (1019-1086; posthumous title Wenzheng 文正) was a distinguished historian and statesman in the Northern Song dynasty. Especially, he compiled the monumental Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government (Zizhi tongjian 資治通鑑), the first comprehensive chronicle of Chinese history covering the period between 403 BC and 959 AD. USC's copy, printed from blocks first engraved in 1744 and then reprinted in 1790, is a revised and corrected edition by Qiao Renjie 喬人傑 (1740-1804; courtesy name 字 Hansan 漢三), a Qing civilian official and one of two primary escorts of the British Macartney mission to China from 1793 to 1794, and others.
Donated by Dr. Peter Marie Suski. Date/edition: 1744 | 清乾隆甲子 [1744] 刻乾隆五十五年 [1790] 重修本.
Collected Poems and Writings from the Studio of Mt. Xiaocang 小倉山房詩集三十七卷詩補遺二卷文集三十五卷外集八卷 (1769) These anthologies of poems and writings were authored by Yuan Mei 袁枚 (1716-1797; courtesy name 字 Zicai 子才), a prestigious poet, writer, calligrapher and painter of the Qing dynasty. Xiaocang shanfang 小倉山房 (Studio of Mt. Xiaocang) is his studio name. The ex libris seal on the caption title page (卷端頁) of the poetry anthology is from the donor Dr. Chow Tse-tsung 周策縱 (1916-2007), a world-famous scholar on the May Fourth Movement and The Dream of the Red Chamber (Hong lou meng 紅樓夢).
Donated by Dr. Chow Tse-tsung. Preface date: 1796 (Jichou year of the Qianlong reign 乾隆己丑).
Poems [by Master of] the Baihua Jiangfu Pavilion 白華絳柎閣詩十卷 (1890) This collection of poems was written by Li Ciming 李慈銘 (1830-1894; literary name 號 Yueman 越縵; alternative name 別號 Master of the Baihua Jiangfu Pavilion 白華絳柎閣主), an influential official and scholar of the late Qing dynasty. USC's copy contains handwritten punctuation marks and commentaries from the donor Dr. Chow Tse-tsung 周策縱 (1916-2007), a world-famous scholar on the May Fourth Movement and The Dream of the Red Chamber (Hong lou meng 紅樓夢).
Donated by Dr. Chow Tse-tsung. Date/edition: 1890 | 光緒十六年石印本.
Inscription for the Stone Gate Pillars 石闕銘 (1900) "Inscription for the Stone Gate Pillars (Shique ming 石闕銘)," a prose essay in praise for the establishment of new stone gate pillars by the Emperor, was written by Lu Chui 陸倕 (470–526), a noteworthy poet and writer of parallel prose (駢文) during the Liang 梁 dynasty (502-557). USC's copy is a lithographic edition of a late-Qing manuscript version of the prose.
Colophon date: 1900 (Gengzi year of the Guangxu reign 光緒庚子).

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Annotated Anthology of Mr. [Su] Dongpo's Poems 東坡先生詩集註三十二卷 (1606-1620) Su Shi 蘇軾 (1037-1101; courtesy name 字 Zizhan 子瞻, literary name 號 Dongpo 東坡) was a preeminent scholar, writer, poet, painter, calligrapher, and statesman in the Northern Song dynasty. USC's copy is the original edition published by Mao Wei 茅維 (1575-1640?; courtesy name 字 Xiaoruo 孝若), a historian, poet, and dramatist of the late Ming dynasty. The ex libris seals on the caption title page (卷端頁) of this book are from the donor Dr. Chow Tse-tsung 周策縱 (1916-2007), a world-famous scholar on the May Fourth Movement and The Dream of the Red Chamber (Hong lou meng 紅樓夢).
Donated by Dr. Chow Tse-tsung. Date/edition: Between 1606 (Bingwu year of the Wanli reign 萬曆丙午) and 1620 | 明萬曆間茅維刻本.