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Early Chinese Manuscript Collections
Sayings, Memory, Verse, and Knowledge
Series: - Studies in the History of Chinese Texts, Volume: 14
Author:
As the first study of manuscript collections, this book asks what changes when sayings, stories, songs, and spells are brought together on the same carrier.
Covering a plethora of manuscripts from the Warring States and early empires, and spanning sources from philosophy, historiography, poetry, and technical literature, this study describes the whole life-cycle of multiple texts collected on a single manuscript.
Drawing on comparative and interdisciplinary advances and based on careful study of manuscript materiality and textuality, this book shows the importance of collections in the development of and access to text and knowledge in early China.
Covering a plethora of manuscripts from the Warring States and early empires, and spanning sources from philosophy, historiography, poetry, and technical literature, this study describes the whole life-cycle of multiple texts collected on a single manuscript.
Drawing on comparative and interdisciplinary advances and based on careful study of manuscript materiality and textuality, this book shows the importance of collections in the development of and access to text and knowledge in early China.
Rens Krijgsman, DPhil (2017), University of Oxford, is Associate Professor at the Research and Conservation Center for Unearthed Texts, Tsinghua University. He has written on memory, reading, intertextuality, and the perceptions and materiality of early Chinese manuscripts.
"In this book, Krijgsman has set forth a powerful and compelling vision for how early Chinese manuscript collections affected and transformed the early textual tradition across multiple genres, and in so doing, he has challenged many conventional assumptions. [...] Rens Krijgsmanâs repeated and highly apt emphasis on the role of collections as âcatalysts of discourseâ requires us to consider new dimensions of how texts were transmitted and how discourse evolved, demanding that we take into account material and visual aspects of texts alongside content. The significance of the issues Krijgsman takes on in this book extends far beyond âearly Chinaâ and âmanuscriptsâ[...] It is to be hoped that this excellent study will itself serve as a catalyst for discourse concerning the formation of the early Chinese textual tradition." - Newell Ann van Auken, Asian Studies XII (XXVIII), 3 (2024).
"He shows how collecting stories or anecdotes evolved into narrating the past and thus the beginnings of historiography, how collections of verse prepared the formation of literary genres, and how collecting what in Chinese terms was âtechnical knowledgeâ amounted to religious manuals with patterns for prayers and spells and also daybooks for personal divination needs. The manuscripts analyzed here provide stunningly direct access to the mindset of the elite before imperial ideological pressures took hold. How closely the religious expectations, fixed in writing, were connected to specific everyday demands comes to the fore. Considering the difficulty and importance of the volumeâs source materials, it must be praised for being readable and thus allowing the non-specialist easy access to how Chinese culture, religious practices included, took form." - Barbara Hendrischke, Religious Studies Review, 49/3 (2023).
âFocusing on the creation of âcollectionsâ out of originally independent texts and thoughtfully situating these within their wider material and literary-historical contexts, Early Chinese Manuscript Collections is an ambitious and ground-breaking work that will prove indispensable reading for anyone with serious interest in processes of textual formation in early China.â- Scott Cook, Yale-NUS College
âIn this fascinating study of collections of texts in early Chinese manuscripts, Rens Krijgsman addresses a highly relevant topic almost entirely absent from previous scholarship: multi-text manuscripts. The case studies he presents embrace a wide range of genres. Through a detailed examination of the materiality of the manuscripts bearing these texts, he explores the question of different social uses of written texts and thus offers an important contribution to early Chinese book history. This timely and important study is sure to inspire productive discussions and future scholarship on early Chinese textual culture and related topics.â - Matthias L. Richter, University of Colorado at Boulder
âAs opposed to most studies of recently unearthed manuscripts, which take a pointillist approach to individual texts, Rens Krijgsman uses a broad brush to paint his picture of Warring States literary history, addressing dozens of different manuscripts representing virtually all of the different kinds of texts from early China. One need not agree with all of his conclusions to be struck by the great erudition on display in his discussions.â - Edward L. Shaughnessy, University of Chicago
"[Early Chinese Manuscript Collections is a solid scientific contribution that offers a fresh perspective on ancient Chinese manuscripts. The book tends to be a smooth read but is not intended for a general audience. If specialist terms such as 'multipletext manuscripts' or transcriptions such as *prÃ»Ê or *brÉkh don't frighten you, you will be treated with a fascinating insight into the creative textual culture of a formative period in Chinese history." (translated from the original Dutch) - Paul van Els,Tijdschrift Voor Geschiedenis 138.1 (2025), 75-76.
"As a survey and typology of collected manuscripts, [Early Chinese Manuscript Collections] is a great success. Its case studies are well-chosen, its translations readable and accurate, its analyses insightful. [...] [R]eservations aside, Krijgsmanâs book is a terrifically useful resource that is highly recommended for all students and scholars of early Chinese texts." - Michael Hunter, T'oung Pao 111.1-2 (2025), 207-211.
â[T]he intellectual reward for engaging with this volume is considerable, especially for readers attentive to how its arguments unfold across several examples and across chapters. For example, I only fully appreciated the analysis of Zhougong Zhi Qin Wu when I finished reading the analysis of its foil, Qi Ye. Thanks to its overarching survey of early Chinese manuscripts and its productive framework for reformulating pre-imperial textuality, reading Early Chinese Manuscript Collections has transformed my understanding of this corpus. For anyone engaged in the interpretation of early Chinese textsâwhether as philosophical, historical, or literary sourcesâunderstanding them as collections should be an essential prerequisite.â - Du Heng, Dao: A Journal of Comparative Philosophy 24.4 (2025).
"He shows how collecting stories or anecdotes evolved into narrating the past and thus the beginnings of historiography, how collections of verse prepared the formation of literary genres, and how collecting what in Chinese terms was âtechnical knowledgeâ amounted to religious manuals with patterns for prayers and spells and also daybooks for personal divination needs. The manuscripts analyzed here provide stunningly direct access to the mindset of the elite before imperial ideological pressures took hold. How closely the religious expectations, fixed in writing, were connected to specific everyday demands comes to the fore. Considering the difficulty and importance of the volumeâs source materials, it must be praised for being readable and thus allowing the non-specialist easy access to how Chinese culture, religious practices included, took form." - Barbara Hendrischke, Religious Studies Review, 49/3 (2023).
âFocusing on the creation of âcollectionsâ out of originally independent texts and thoughtfully situating these within their wider material and literary-historical contexts, Early Chinese Manuscript Collections is an ambitious and ground-breaking work that will prove indispensable reading for anyone with serious interest in processes of textual formation in early China.â- Scott Cook, Yale-NUS College
âIn this fascinating study of collections of texts in early Chinese manuscripts, Rens Krijgsman addresses a highly relevant topic almost entirely absent from previous scholarship: multi-text manuscripts. The case studies he presents embrace a wide range of genres. Through a detailed examination of the materiality of the manuscripts bearing these texts, he explores the question of different social uses of written texts and thus offers an important contribution to early Chinese book history. This timely and important study is sure to inspire productive discussions and future scholarship on early Chinese textual culture and related topics.â - Matthias L. Richter, University of Colorado at Boulder
âAs opposed to most studies of recently unearthed manuscripts, which take a pointillist approach to individual texts, Rens Krijgsman uses a broad brush to paint his picture of Warring States literary history, addressing dozens of different manuscripts representing virtually all of the different kinds of texts from early China. One need not agree with all of his conclusions to be struck by the great erudition on display in his discussions.â - Edward L. Shaughnessy, University of Chicago
"[Early Chinese Manuscript Collections is a solid scientific contribution that offers a fresh perspective on ancient Chinese manuscripts. The book tends to be a smooth read but is not intended for a general audience. If specialist terms such as 'multipletext manuscripts' or transcriptions such as *prÃ»Ê or *brÉkh don't frighten you, you will be treated with a fascinating insight into the creative textual culture of a formative period in Chinese history." (translated from the original Dutch) - Paul van Els,Tijdschrift Voor Geschiedenis 138.1 (2025), 75-76.
"As a survey and typology of collected manuscripts, [Early Chinese Manuscript Collections] is a great success. Its case studies are well-chosen, its translations readable and accurate, its analyses insightful. [...] [R]eservations aside, Krijgsmanâs book is a terrifically useful resource that is highly recommended for all students and scholars of early Chinese texts." - Michael Hunter, T'oung Pao 111.1-2 (2025), 207-211.
â[T]he intellectual reward for engaging with this volume is considerable, especially for readers attentive to how its arguments unfold across several examples and across chapters. For example, I only fully appreciated the analysis of Zhougong Zhi Qin Wu when I finished reading the analysis of its foil, Qi Ye. Thanks to its overarching survey of early Chinese manuscripts and its productive framework for reformulating pre-imperial textuality, reading Early Chinese Manuscript Collections has transformed my understanding of this corpus. For anyone engaged in the interpretation of early Chinese textsâwhether as philosophical, historical, or literary sourcesâunderstanding them as collections should be an essential prerequisite.â - Du Heng, Dao: A Journal of Comparative Philosophy 24.4 (2025).
Contents
List of Figures
Acknowledgements
Introduction
â1âA Note on Orality
â2âCollecting Text in a Manuscript Culture
â3âCollections in Manuscript Form
â4âThe Form and Use of Collections
â5âThe Role of Collections in Early China
â6âSources and Caveats
â7âOutline of the Study
1 Manuscript Materiality: Organizing Sayings in a Collection
â1âThe Unborn Laozi: Of Materiality and Building Blocks
â2âSound-based Organization: The *Yong yue ç¨æ°
â3âVisually Enhanced Organization
â4âBuilding Blocks That Form Arguments
â5âConclusions
2 Collecting Stories: The Reformation and Integration of the Past
â1âA Fragmented Past: Songs of Ancestors and Lords
â2âThe Rongchengshi: Forging an All-embracing Narrative about the Past
â3âWarring States Developments in Representing the Past
â4âConclusions
3 Collection and Canon: The Formation of a Genre
â1âDevelopments in the Use of Verse
â2âEmergent Properties in Verse Collections
â3âShi as a Commented Collection
â4âTeaching Verse as Poetry: The *Kongzi shi lun Read through the *Xing zi ming chu
â5âConclusion
4 Collecting and Disseminating: Using Technical Knowledge
â1âEarly Records of Divination: Baoshan, Tangweisi, and Geling
â2âWarring States Prayer and Divination Collections
â3âDaybooks and Related Collections of the Early Empires
â4âConclusions
Conclusion: A Manuscript Cultureâs Response to the Proliferation of Text
Bibliography
Index
List of Figures
Acknowledgements
Introduction
â1âA Note on Orality
â2âCollecting Text in a Manuscript Culture
â3âCollections in Manuscript Form
â4âThe Form and Use of Collections
â5âThe Role of Collections in Early China
â6âSources and Caveats
â7âOutline of the Study
1 Manuscript Materiality: Organizing Sayings in a Collection
â1âThe Unborn Laozi: Of Materiality and Building Blocks
â2âSound-based Organization: The *Yong yue ç¨æ°
â3âVisually Enhanced Organization
â4âBuilding Blocks That Form Arguments
â5âConclusions
2 Collecting Stories: The Reformation and Integration of the Past
â1âA Fragmented Past: Songs of Ancestors and Lords
â2âThe Rongchengshi: Forging an All-embracing Narrative about the Past
â3âWarring States Developments in Representing the Past
â4âConclusions
3 Collection and Canon: The Formation of a Genre
â1âDevelopments in the Use of Verse
â2âEmergent Properties in Verse Collections
â3âShi as a Commented Collection
â4âTeaching Verse as Poetry: The *Kongzi shi lun Read through the *Xing zi ming chu
â5âConclusion
4 Collecting and Disseminating: Using Technical Knowledge
â1âEarly Records of Divination: Baoshan, Tangweisi, and Geling
â2âWarring States Prayer and Divination Collections
â3âDaybooks and Related Collections of the Early Empires
â4âConclusions
Conclusion: A Manuscript Cultureâs Response to the Proliferation of Text
Bibliography
Index
Specialists and students of early manuscripts, literature, history, sinology, and philosophy find the book engages the most important sources and theory in their fields. The book appeals to comparativists across the ancient world.