“The Living Fame and the Later Recognition” – the 2015 Exhibition on Shanghai Library’s Selected Collections
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SHANGHAI Library kicked off the widely-anticipated grand finale of the year as the 2015 Exhibition on Selected Historical Collections opened on November 16, in the theme of “The Living Fame and the Later Recognition (生前身后)”.
The exhibited items, mostly annals and obituaries, are selected from the Library’s vast historical collections. It features as a show on the subject of the historical literatures primarily documenting the life, deeds and activities of a specific famous person, which are of great significance in scholarly researches. |
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A number of guests, including Mr. Gao Keqin, the president of the Shanghai Ancient Books Press; Mr. Chen Zishan, a professor from the East Normal University; Mr. Shen Feide, the deputy director of Shanghai Research Institute of Culture and History; Mr. Ma Zhongwen, director of Archives of the Institute of Modern History, the China Social Sciences Academy; and Mr. Zhang Renfeng, grandson of Mr. Zhang Yuanji, were invited to be present at the opening ceremony, which was presided over by deputy director of Shanghai Library Mr. Zhou Deming, and addressed by the Shanghai Institute of Visual Art party chief Mr. Shao Minhua and the director of Shanghai Library Dr. Ww Jianzhong.
Annals (年谱) are a historical record in which events of the host are chronologically arranged and narrated. Almost half of the annals held by Shanghai Library created before 1949 are original manuscripts or transcript copies, and there is no lack of rare or even the only-extant editions. Some are developed by veteran annals compilors such as Huang Rui, Qin Hancai and Xiang Shiyuan, and are of great academic value in terms of the precise style they represent and the extensive materials they collect and apply. Meanwhile, there are many rare annals that cannot be found elsewhere but in the genealogy depositary of Shanghai Library. An obituary (讣告) is, no matter what name or form (e.g. 哀启, 行述, 哀挽录 or 荣哀录) it takes, an article reporting the recent death of a person. It is traditionally made in limited copies for private purpose and spread in smaller circles. Basically few people would intend to collect it so the extant obituaries are in extreme scarcity. However thanks to the geographical advantage, as well as the generous contributions from sages of the previous generations, Shanghai Library boasts an unparallel collection of obituaries in thousands of forms and types. The unveiling of the exhibition, featuring some 150 kinds of annals, obituaries, epitaphs, birthday congratulatory messages, marks the 11th consecutive year that Shanghai Library makes its treasured collections available to the public. The involved big names in China’s modern history are, among others, Sun Yat-sen, Ma Xiangbo, Wang Guowei, Shen Zengzhi, Zhang Qian, Silas Hardoon, whose imposing experience are brought to life through the exhibits. Also on display are annals of Liang Qichao, compiled by his son Liang Sicheng; the “Hongxian Emperor Calendar posters” looking back to Yuan Shikai’s miscalculated efforts to revive the imperial monarchy; a photo album of family surnamed Chen as a complete record of funeral customs at that time, and, last but not the least, some literatures about the generals who fight the war against the Japanese invasion to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the capitulation of Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany. A grand pictorial album under the same title of the exhibition was published by the Shanghai Library to complement the annual show. Lectures and seminars are also scheduled to promote the public understandings and interest. The exhibition will run till November 23. |