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Queli zhi 闕里志

Mar 11, 2012 © Ulrich Theobald

Queli zhi 闕里志 "Records of Queli" is a local gazetteer of Queli 闕里 (modern Qufu 曲阜, Shandong), the home town of Confucius, written during the Ming period 明 (1368-1644) by Chen Hao 陳鎬 (jinshi degree 1487, d. 1511), courtesy name Zongzhi 宗之.

Quli had before never been described in a local gazetteer, yet in 1504, when the town was repaired and the Confucius Temple (Kongmiao 孔廟) restored, Li Dongyang 李東陽 (1447-1516), who was entrusted with the inauguration offerings, ordered Chen Hao to compile a local gazetteer. The resulting 20-juan long book included information about rituals, the Kong family, historical events, offering rituals, personalities, parks and temples, rivers and creeks, old buildings, and so on, and also includes some maps and illustrations. Yet the compilation was done quite hastily and not very refined, so that the family head Kong Yun 孔允, Duke Yansheng 衍聖公, revised Chen's book.

Two updated versions are Queli xinzhi 闕里新志, compiled by Kong Shangren 孔尚任 (1648-1718), and Queli guangzhi 闕里廣志, compiled by Song Ji 宋際, and Song Qingchang 宋慶長 (1870).

Sources:
Li Xueqin 李學勤, Lü Wenyu 呂文鬰, eds. (1996). Siku da cidian 四庫大辭典 (Changchun: Jilin daxue chubanshe), Vol. 1, 984, 966.
Jiaoyu da cidian bianzuan weiyuanhui 《教育大辭典》編纂委員會, ed. (1991). Jiaoyu da cidian 教育大辭典, Part 8, Zhongguo gudai jiaoyu shi 中國古代教育史 (Shanghai: Shanghai jiaoyu chubanshe), Vol. 1, 333.