Rare Books
Yongle Dadian (Yongle Encyclopedia)
Compiled by Xie Jin, et al. Imperial manuscript in Jiajing Period (1522-1566), Ming Dynasty.
The Yongle Dadian is a large-scale encyclopedia compiled by Xie Jin et al., from the 1st year to the 6th year of Yongle Period (1403-1408) by order of Emperor Yongle. Comprising 22,877 juan, the encyclopedia preserved textual information from about 8,000 texts of all kinds. However, both the original and the second copy were dropped into oblivion by the end of the Qing Dynasty. Some 400 extant volumes now scatter among more than 30 collections in eight countries or territories.
