“Weng Tonghe’s Diary” Settles in New Home at Shanghai Library
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A NUMBER of rare historical documents contributed by descendant of the Qing Dynasty illustrious Weng Family, including 47 volumes of the original handwritten copies of “Weng Tonghe (翁同龢)’s Diary”, have been brought home over a distance of some 10,000 miles after 68 years of vicissitudes.
In the morning of December 21st, Shanghai Library announced the reception of the “Weng Tonghe’s Diary” at a ceremony acknowledging the donation of these precious materials from Weng Tonghe’s great-great-grandson, the 97-year-old Wango Weng (翁万戈). The diary of Weng Tonghe, the prestigious senior official in late Qing Dynasty, is one of the most important archives in the Chinese modern history. The manuscripts of the diary were carried by Wango to America in the autumn of 1948 to flee the foresighted ravages by warfare. Now after 68 years of seclusion in a small, tranquil mountainous town in the northeast U.S., the diary has finally traveled back across the ocean to home, together with a batch of other selected Weng Tonghe archives. A diary is a literature of particular research values which selectively records a person’s experiences, thoughts or feelings on a day. The 47-volume Weng Tonghe’s Diary, unanimously recognized as one of the most important first-hand materials in the study of late Qing Dynasty history, spans a duration of as long as 46 years, starting from July 31st, 1857 (June 21 on lunar calendar, the 8th year of the Emperor Xianfeng’s reign), and discontinuing on June 27th, 1904 (May 14th on lunar calendar, the 30th year of Emperor Guangxu’s reign), just 7 days before his death. The original manuscripts of the Weng Tonghe’s Diary have been treasured by his descendants since his demise in 1904. The beginning of the association between Shanghai Library and the Weng Family date back to 15 years ago when the sensational transfer of some 80 titles of Weng’ collection, including, among others, the only extant of the Song Dynasty block print “Ji Yun (“集韵”, Collection of Rhymes)”, from Wango to Shanghai Library took place on March 24th, 2000, with support from the Shanghai municipal government. Now 15 years later Mr. Wango decided to resume the association by donating another batch of Weng’s manuscripts to Shanghai Library. Along with the Diary are a number of Weng Tonghe’s manuscripts, covering subjects of Reform and New Deal, the imperial examination, borrowing from foreign countries, the first Sino-Japanese War (甲午战争), the Sino-French War over Vietnam (中法越南之争) and internal affairs of the imperial court. |