Wei Yuan (魏源)(I)

Jane Kate Leonard finished writing a book about Wei Yuan (魏源 ) in 1984. Its title was "Wei Yuan and China's Rediscovery of the Maritime World".1 Wai Yuan (1794-1856) was often remembered for his contribution as a historian and geographer, although he also had written some books on Chinese classics. In the field of history he had written the Yuan-shih hsin-pien (元史新編 ) and the Shengwu chi (聖武記). The latter was an account of the military operations of Qing up to the Tao-kuang period, and later supplemented by another historian to include the reign-period of Tao-kuang, Hsien-feng, and Tung-chih (up to 1875), reprinted with a new title: Shih-i-chao Sheng-wu chi(十一朝聖武記). The Opium War that ended in 1842 by the Treaty of Nanking (南京條約) had prompted Wai Yuan to finish writing the book entitled Hai-kuo tu-chi (海國圖志) in 1844 which had 50 chuan. It was later supplemented by new chapters up to 100 chuan in 1852. Some material used in Hai kuo tu-chi came from his good friend Lin Tse-hsu (林則徐). Wai yuan's intention to write Hai-kuo tu-chi was to help Qing in dealing with foreign nations. Both the Hai-kuo tu-chi and the Sheng-wu chi became popular in Japan. An abridged edition of the first five chapters of Hai-kuo tu-chi was reprinted by the Japanese scholars in 1854-56. The Sheng-wu chi was also abridged and reprinted in 1850.2 (to be continued)


Notes:
1.Leonard, Jane Kate. Wei Yuan and China's Rediscovery of the Maritime World. Cambridge, Mass.:Council on East Asian Studies, Harvard University: Distributed by Harvard University Press, 1984.
2. Hummel, Arthur ed. Eminent Chinese of the Ching Period. Taipei: SMC Publishing Inc. 2002, pages 850-1.