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. 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.
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 Li223Explore by Technique of Printingplain9973962021-02-05T17:09:10-08:00Tang 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 (1616)13Spring 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) contains more complete and rich accounts than the Chunqiu and thus has been regarded as the prime source on 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. Preface date: 1616 (Bingchen year of the Wanli reign 萬曆丙辰) . Edition: 朱墨套印本.media/chunqiuzuozhuan.jpgplain2021-02-06T19:13:16-08:00Link to the catalog record in the USC LibrariesTang Li94607ee88639079982d0344d02ff8ecdf7b6dc46