Entombed Epigraphy and Commemorative Culture in Early Medieval China: A History of Early Muzhiming by Timothy M. Davis (review)

Abstract

張元濟 (1867–1959) was based on the preface, but they do not identify the persons mentioned. Records in the gazetteer make it clear that the General Zheng who sponsored the printing of the book was Zheng Angxiao 鄭昂霄 (1270–1329), a military commander from the environs of Mt. Xicheng 析城 山 in southern Shanxi. Louis suspects that the 1247 edition might have been printed in 1306–1307 (p. 88), and now this question is settled. With clear focus, Design by the Book draws on a wide range of primary sources and incorporates scholarship from various fields. Louis has not only delineated the history of the Sanli tu lucidly, but has also translated its every item into English. Any reader interested in ancient Chinese ritual and material culture will benefit from this dedicated work.