The Collection of Songs among the Flowers (Huajian ji 花間集四卷) 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.
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.
Other Fine Examples of Two-Color Printing from the Chinese Rare Book Collection:
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1media/techniques-1.jpg2020-06-17T15:18:55-07:00Tang Li94607ee88639079982d0344d02ff8ecdf7b6dc46TechniquesTang Li227Explore by Technique of Printingplain9973962021-12-19T15:22:45-08:00Tang Li94607ee88639079982d0344d02ff8ecdf7b6dc46
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1media/chunqiuzuozhuan_thumb.jpg2020-10-14T17:16:42-07:00Tang Li94607ee88639079982d0344d02ff8ecdf7b6dc46Spring and Autumn Annals - Commentary of Zuo 春秋左傳十五卷 (1616)18Spring and Autumn Annals (Chunqiu 春秋), one of the Five Classics (Wujing 五經 ) of Confucianism, is the first Chinese chronological history which covers the years from 722 BC to 479 BC. The Commentary of Zuo (Zuozhuan 左傳), a commentary to the Chunqiu, contains more complete and rich accounts and thus has been regarded as the prime source of the ancient history of China. The Chunqiu and Zuozhuan were often edited together during the later years of the Ming dynasty. This USC's edition includes annotations by the Ming official and scholar Sun Kuang 孫鑛 (1543-1613; courtesy name 字 Yuefeng 月峰) and is an excellent example of two-color printing in black and red (朱墨套印) in the late Ming dynasty. Date: 1616 (Bingchen year of the Wanli reign 萬曆丙辰) . Edition: 朱墨套印本.media/chunqiuzuozhuan.jpgplain2022-01-28T15:50:31-08:00Link to the catalog record in the USC LibrariesTang Li94607ee88639079982d0344d02ff8ecdf7b6dc46
1media/guangjinshiyunfu_thumb.jpg2020-10-14T16:50:26-07:00Tang Li94607ee88639079982d0344d02ff8ecdf7b6dc46Expanded Rhyming Epigraphic Dictionary 廣金石韻府五卷 (1670)15Rhyming Epigraphic Dictionary (Jinshi yunfu 金石韻府) is a thorough paleographic dictionary that combines characters from earlier dictionaries with a wide range of other sources, including bronze vessels and stone inscriptions. It was compiled by the Ming scholar Zhu Yun 朱雲 in 1530. Qing scholars Lin Shangkui 林尚葵 (courtesy name 字 Zhuchen 朱臣) and Li Gen 李根 (courtesy name 字 Aling 阿靈) compiled and corrected this expanded edition, which was printed in two colors in black and red (朱墨套印) in 1670. The ex libris seal 南陵徐乃昌校勘經籍記 on the caption title page (卷端頁) of the book is from Xu Naichang 徐乃昌 (1869-1943), a well-known collector and scholar in the late Qing and Republican periods. Donated by Dr. Peter Marie Suski. Date/Edition: 1670 | 康熙九年.media/guangjinshiyunfu.jpgplain2021-12-20T20:35:42-08:00Link to the catalog record in the USC LibrariesTang Li94607ee88639079982d0344d02ff8ecdf7b6dc46
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1media/flowers_caption page_thumb.jpg2020-05-15T14:27:03-07:00The Collection of Songs among the Flowers 花間集四卷 (1620)36The 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.