Xinchou xiaoxia ji 辛丑銷夏記

Xinchou xiaoxia ji 辛丑銷夏記 "Notes made while passing the summer of 1841", with a length of 5 juan, is a book on calligraphy and painting compiled during the Qing period 清 (1644-1911) by Wu Rongguang 吳榮光 (1773-1843), courtesy name Hewu 荷屋, style Dianyuan 殿垣, Borong 伯榮 or Shiyuan Shanren 石雲山人, from Nanhai 南海 (today part of Guangzhou 廣州, Guangdong). Wu wrote many books, like Lidai mingren nianpu 歷代名人年譜, Wuxuelu 吾學錄, Yuanjiananguan shigao 緣伽楠館詩稿 or Tiejing 帖鏡. The title of his book on artworks is borrowed from Sun Chengze's 孫承澤 (1592-1676) Gengzi xiaoxia ji 庚子銷夏記.

The book was written in 1841, when Wu was forced to lay on the sickbed to cure a foot ailment. It is a catalogue of paintings and calligraphy compiled by the author based on his own collection. Because it was put together relatively quickly, the work is relatively small in scale. However, the author's scholarly attitude is rigorous. He never includes any works he believed to be forgeries. If he clearly remembered the details of a piece, he recorded it; if his memory was unclear, he preferred to omit it rather than take any chances.

Regarding authentic works whose inscriptions or colophons were incomplete, he still included those parts that were well preserved. For paintings with two versions where authenticity was challenging to determine, although the author stated in the preface that there was no need to be overly rigid, he remained very cautious in what he included.

When compiling this book, the author had access to Sun Chengze's 孫承澤 (1592-1676) Gengzi xiaojia ji 庚子銷夏記 and largely followed its format. The difference is that Sun's book focused more on commentary and reflections, using paintings and calligraphy as a vehicle for personal sentiment, and did not fully record inscriptions or colophons. In contrast, the book of Wu Rongguang includes complete texts and inscriptions, sometimes to the point of redundancy. For example, in juan 1, it records the entire Preface to the Orchid Pavilion (Lanting xu 蘭亭叙), which seems excessive. The book follows a chronological order and describes and rates 147 calligraphies and paintings from the Song period 宋 (960-1279) on. Unlike other books of the type, Wu's Xinchou xiaoxia ji treats paintings and calligraphy equally, unlike some catalogues which separate the two. It meticulously records details such as the material of the work, its dimensions, collectors' seals, and later inscriptions and colophons. The seals are even reproduced in their original forms.

Although Wu's book is said to imitate Gao Shiqi's (1645-1703) Jiangcun xiaoxia lu 江村銷夏錄, it is meticulously researched and erudite, avoiding empty talk on appreciation. It surpasses Gao's book in rigour and precision. The attached colophons and annotations are exceptionally accurate. Occasionally, there are accompanying poems, but they are never filled with empty words—truly a case of the student surpassing the master.

There is the original 1831 edition printed at the author's home, and a reprint edition from 1895 published by Master Ye 葉氏 in Changsha 長沙, Hunan.