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Gu qiqi lu 古奇器錄

Mar 19, 2024 © Ulrich Theobald

Gu qiqi lu 古奇器錄 is a brief book listing extraordinary objects owned by historical persons. It was compiled during the Ming period 明 (1368-1644) by Lu Shen 陸深 (1477-1544), who is also the author of the travel diary Nanxun rilu 南巡日錄.

The text quotes from historical report, but does not indicate sources. Examples for such stories are jishi zhu 記事珠, the pearl of memory once acquired by Chief counsellor Zhang Yue 張說 (667-731) during the Kaiyuan reign-period 開元 (713-741), or the "pillow of the travelling immortal" (youxian zhen 遊仙枕) from the state of Qiuci 龜茲 one presented to Emperor Xuanzong 唐玄宗 (r. 712-755) of the Tang dynasty 唐 (618-907).

The second part of the book consists of a bibliographic overview of "books from the lower Yangtse region" (Jiangdong cangshu mulu 江東藏書目錄), i.e., the author's own collection. It is remarkable because of an arrangement that differs from the usual patterns of book catalogues in the order, as well as in the categories – with a special category for imperial decrees (zhishu 制書).

The book can be found in the series Baichuan xuehai 百川學海, Chongding Xinshangbian 重訂欣賞編, Shuofu 說郛 and Congshu jicheng chubian.

Source:
Li Xueqin 李學勤, Lü Wenyu 呂文郁, ed. (1996). Siku da cidian 四庫大辭典 (Changchun: Jilin daxue chubanshe), Vol. 2, 1856.