Six volumes of the Veritable Records of the Shunzhi Emperor, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period | 清康熙 《大清世祖章皇帝實錄》一組六冊

Collection of Dr Wou Kiuan (1910-1997).

Wou Lien-Pai Museum, coll. no. 286.

吳權博士 (1910-1997) 收藏

吳蓮伯博物院，編號286

Sumptuously bound in red silk decorated with phoenix roundels, the present six volumes belong to a set of 144 volumes of historical records of the reign of Emperor Zhang, the Shunzhi Emperor (r. 1644-1661). Veritable Records, or Shi lu in Chinese, comprise a wide variety of officially-compiled sources documenting activities both at court as well as within the imperial palace compound, including: the court diaries, qijuzhu; the inner palace diaries, nei qijuzhu; the records of administrative affairs; and the daily calendar, rili.

Throughout Chinese history, it was common for a new emperor to order the compilation of the Veritable Records of his predecessor. To demonstrate the orthodox status of the Manchu authority to rule China, and to establish the Qing dynasty as the legitimate successor of Chinese culture, the emperors of the Qing dynasty continued to follow previous dynastic practices, documenting their legitimacy on the throne of China through publications formulated, written and interpreted by classically trained scholars. On the 9th month of the 6th year of the Kangxi reign, corresponding to 1667, the Veritable Records of the Shunzhi Emperor were commissioned. By the 11th year of the Kangxi reign, 1672, a total of 144 had been officially produced. Throughout the Qing dynasty, three versions of each of the Veritable Records were produced, written in Chinese, Manchurian, and Mongolian, and placed exclusively within the premises of the imperial family, including in the Palace of Heavenly Purity, Qian Qing Gong, and the Grand Secretariat Storehouse, Nei Gu Da Ku.

Veritable records from the Qing dynasty are rarely seen in the market, and the only known examples are held in important museums and institutions worldwide. For example, vols. 73 and 74 from the present set are currently preserved at the National Palace Museum, Taipei, museum number Gu Gong 001885 and Gu Gong 001886. These document the bestowment of the golden seal and booklet to the Dalai Lama. Another related document, also in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, is the Manchurian version of the Veritable Records of the Emperor Xian, the Yongzheng emperor (r. 1723-1735), which was included in the museum’s exhibition, Harmony and Integrity, The Yongzheng Emperor and His Times, 2009, cat. no. I-19.