Text Circulation and Historical Source Reconstruction: A Study on the Version System and Documentary Value of Chronicles of Zhongshan Conveyed in Faith

Abstract

In the fifty-eighth year of the Kangxi reign (1719), Xu Baoguang, a Hanlin Academy compiler, authored Records of Diplomatic Missions to Zhongshan following his diplomatic mission to the Ryukyu Kingdom. Combining on-the-spot surveys and textual collation, this book comprehensively documents Ryukyu’s geography, political systems, folk customs and the history of Sino-Ryukyu communications, making it an academically influential classic among Ming and Qing imperial envoy records.
Focusing on its edition system, this paper firstly clarifies the lineage of extant domestic and foreign editions, and differentiates textual variations between the original Kangxi-era printed version, later revised editions and Japanese woodblock editions. It further redefines the book’s documentary value from five dimensions: geographical survey and mapping, Sino-Ryukyu diplomatic relations, folk culture, territorial sovereignty and interdisciplinary research. This paper also analyzes the profound impact of its dissemination across China, Japan, South Korea and Europe on regional historical research, and explores cross-cultural interpretation and academic historical interactions to achieve an all-round insight into its academic significance.
This study finds that the evolutionary changes in its editions mirror the academic pursuits and cultural backgrounds of successive historical periods. Its multiple academic values not only furnish first-hand archival sources for Ryukyu historical studies, but also furnish crucial historical evidence for territorial sovereignty disputes concerning the Diaoyu Islands. As an important historical witness to Qing Dynasty overseas narratives and Sino-foreign cultural exchanges, this work also provides rich research materials and original perspectives for interdisciplinary academic exploration.