Jun 19, 2025 © Ulrich Theobald
Qijing 碁經, today called Dunhuang Qijing 敦煌碁經 (敦煌棋經) is is a manuscript with a text on chess found in Dunhuang 敦煌, Gansu. The author is unknown, but it dates from the Northern Zhou period 北周 (557-581).
The beginning of the text is missing, and some words towards the end. The Qijing from Dunhuang is the oldest surviving original text on Chinese chess. It is enriched by an appendix consisting of Emperor Wu's 梁武帝 (r. 502-549) notes, Qiping yaolüe 棋評要略. In 1990, Cheng Enyuan 成恩元 published an annotated modern edition, Dunhuang qijing jianzheng 箋證.
Sources:
Cheng Enyuan 成恩元. 1989. "Dunhuang xieben Qijing yu Song Zhang Ni Qijing de bijiao yanjiu 敦煌寫本《碁經》與宋張擬《棋經》的比較研究." Dunhuangxue jikan 敦煌學輯刊 1989 (2): 98-109.
Li Jinmei 李金梅, Li Zhongshen 李重申, and Ma Defu 馬德福. 1994. "Dunhuang Qijing kaoxi 敦煌《碁經》考析." Sheke zongheng 社科縱橫 1994 (5): 91-94+82.
Jiang Xuesong 蔣學松, and Li Xing 李行. 1996. "Dunhuang Qijing yu Sun Lü yipu: Gudai Zhongguo weiqi yuanliu qianxi 敦煌《棋經》與孫呂遺譜──古代中國圍棋源流淺析." Sichuan wenwu 四川文物 1996 (1): 75-77.
Wu Longhui 吳龍輝, ed. 1994. Zhonghua zajing jicheng 中華雜經集成, vol. 3, 86. Beijing: Zhongguo shehui kexue chubanshe.