There is a poem in the "Heming" of "Shijing Xiaoya": "The stone of his mountain can be wrong." From this poem, there is the idiom "he attacked the wrong mountain". The metaphor of the mountain with external strengths has always been understood as a general reference. However, when I saw Mr. Mercury's masterpiece, I knew that in addition to general references, it really had a real name. In Cixi, Ningbo, Zhejiang, there is a famous mountain "It Mountain". "It" communicates with "he". Allusions derived from the Book of Poetry are often written as "It is the stone of the mountain, and it can attack jade". Therefore, Mr. Mercury, a local literary historian, cleverly borrowed this idiom and used it as the title of his book, which is this "It Mountain Attacks Wrong".
In terms of actual meaning, the "Itshan" here refers to its mountain weirs, which are the irrigation hubs of Yuxian storage and diversion of water built in the Tang Dynasty, and together with Zhengguoqu, Lingqu and Dujiangyan, they are known as the four major water conservancy projects in ancient China, and are designated as national key cultural relics units. However, the title of the book "It Attacks the Wrong" is, I understand, a metaphorical title between fiction and reality. The book also has a subtitle called "The Examination of the School Interpretation of the Southern Song Dynasty's Wei Xian "Water Conservancy Preparation"", indicating the actual content. According to this, this is a research work on the Southern Song Dynasty Wei Hyun's "Water Conservancy Review".
The full name of "Water Conservancy Preparation" is "Siming It Landscape and Water Conservancy Preparation", which is a work written by Wei Xian who lived in the countryside in the later years of the Southern Song Dynasty, on the basis of the historical facts of Kaosuo, and based on the practice of personally presiding over water conservancy construction. In addition, with its mountain weir as the center, from construction planning to final account report, a series of design concepts and implementation systems such as macro planning of water conservancy system engineering and specific maintenance, management, operation, and perfection, there are precious records, and it is known as the earliest existing water conservancy engineering history on the mainland.
This book is called "The Proofreading and Examination of the Southern Song Dynasty's Wei Xian "Water Conservancy Preparation", which is actually not a pure proofreading of ancient books, but a comprehensive research work. Mr. Mercury drove a large number of surviving documents, stone carved historical materials, and fieldwork, made a detailed study of the author's family lineage and life, and also accurately identified the time when the book was written. The investigation of the circulating versions of the "Water Conservancy Review" contains 17 editions, which far exceeds the "General Record of the Writings of the Song People", which only records the Ming carving, the Ming copy, and the "Siku Quanshu". It can be seen that this is solid research based on thorough investigation.
Mr. Mercury wrote in the foreword: "Last winter and this spring, there was a long drought and little rain, and the remains of the sluice gates were exposed. The same mentor and friend went to the site to inspect and had a heated discussion on whether the Huisha Gate was built at the beginning of the year to be a T-dam type or a one-character dam type. After immersing myself in the Internet and reviewing the literature, I felt that my previous research on the "Preparation" focused more on the words related to its mountain weir in the book, and did not pay much attention to Wei Xian's planning and strategy, and the matter of pro-sand hunting and building gates. Further 'homework' also shows that in fact, the previous research on the "Preparation" itself is not enough. "The lack of research so far has aroused awareness of the problem. The origin of such a work stipulates that this book has the research characteristics of including ancient book proofreading and greatly transcendent.
The next two chapters of the preface are the source of the author's Wei Xian research and the version of "Water Conservancy Review", and the next five chapters are proofreading, compilation and additions to "Water Conservancy Review". The six chapters of the second part are the documentary examination and historical investigation around its mountain weirs. The chronology and map of the history of the mountain contained in the third appendix are clearly displayed in time and space. This is the main component of the book.
Illustrations and texts are also a major feature of this book. The book not only cites relevant historical maps in Fangzhi documents, but also inserts many relevant fieldwork photos into the proofreading notes. This makes the research of this book not only stop at the "paper talk" from literature to literature, but also use the history of the ground to prove the history, which is detailed and credible.
The combination of above-ground historical materials and underground historical materials is the dual evidence method advocated by Mr. Wang Guowei back then, and this book has empirical evidence similar to anthropological fieldwork. This research method is of enlightening significance especially for the study of local history. In addition, from the reader's point of view, the visual stimulation of the image image is vivid and vivid, which will undoubtedly make a deep impression.
The way this book is collated is also quite unique. The proofreading of each part first lists the base plate of the part of the school, showing the original appearance of the document, and then collates and annotates respectively. In these two parts, relevant pictures are inserted as needed. The corrected text is listed last. This method of proofreading can be said to be unique. In his foreword, Mr. Mercury humbly said that he had the courage to break into the field of proofreading and sorting out ancient books that was completely unfamiliar before." I rather think that "Kung Fu is outside the poem", the relative field barrier, often does not make people shrink, stick to the inherent rules, and can play freely according to actual needs.
As far as this "It Mountain Attacks Mistakes - Southern Song Dynasty Wei Xian "Water Conservancy Preparation" School Interpretation Examination" is concerned, it breaks through the general norms of traditional ancient book collation and proofreading. However, because of its uniqueness, I believe that it will receive a good research expression effect and a wide audience effect. Obey the purpose of research, specific documents and specific policies, and the collation of ancient books may also be "eclectic" under the premise of abiding by basic norms.
Tashan Temple and Tashan Weir around 1870 (lower left corner)
It Mountain Temple and Its Mountain Weir in the 1970s
Regarding Wei Xian's "Water Conservancy Review", there have been several collated editions so far. However, it is basically a traditional "paper" proofreading work, and there is no evidence that has both version proofreading and field investigation like Mr. Mercury. Even in terms of proofreading errors, compared with the existing collation, this "It Mountain Attack Mistake - Southern Song Dynasty Wei Xian "Water Conservancy Preparation" School Interpretation Examination" has also made a new breakthrough. Here are a few examples.
Xu Shidong's "Song and Yuan Four Ming and Six Zhi School Surveys", which has a deep proofreading of "Water Conservancy Preparation", has this study in volume 30: ""Preparation for Overview, Taosha Hunting" strip clouds: Jiading Yihai drought is burning, and the field seedlings will fall. Da Nang is a strategy for dredging sand and obstructing water. Yihai, eight years also, is in line with the words of the two Zhejiang drought locusts in this book. In this regard, Mr. Mercury first examined the Zhizhengzhi manuscript and found that the "Jiading Yihai" in it was recorded as "Jiading Jihai". However, in the nuclear era, the Southern Song Dynasty Ningzong Jiading year was seventeen years, during which there was no "Jihai" year. Therefore, Mr. Mercury combined Wei Hyun's life and finally determined that "Jiading Jihai" was the lie of Song Lizong's "Jiaxi Jihai" (1239), which not only corrected Xu Shidong's research error, but also accurately determined the time when Wei Hyun "made a strategy for dredging sand and obstacle water".
For the word "zhang" in the article "Accumulated Sand and Silt", Mr. Mercury broke away from the fixed thinking of generally understanding the length of distance and interpreted it as a measure of the area of accumulated sand. On this basis, through calculations, the employment of Taosha in the first year of Chunyu was revised from "1,932 workers" to "2,932 workers". I once wrote in the book "The Difference between Two and Three" in the book "Methodology of Ancient Book Collation": "One, two, three, the difference is only the number of strokes. One painting difference, the numbers are very different. At the time of proofreading, most of the similarities and differences in this regard are difficult to correct in relation to the facts. According to the specific content, it is necessary to mobilize knowledge in different fields and make judgments before you can take a look at the female yellow. For the common mistakes in ancient books such as "one" and "two", Mr. Mercury mobilized his professional knowledge to make a correct judgment.
In addition, in many places in the "Water Conservancy Review", the "碶" commonly used in the south of the Song Dynasty to denote the stone sluice gate, was changed by the Ming people to mean the "堨" of the embankment, and Mr. Mercury also restored its original appearance through examination. I also had a similar experience in my proofreading practice, and found that the Qing people mostly used well-known Ming and Qing things to modify the works of the Song people. Correcting such errors also requires a deep knowledge base.
The above examples are all in-depth proofreadings that enter the field of research, which is suitable to become a typical case in proofreading.
In addition to the handed down text, Mr. Mercury's additions and additions to the content in the appendix are also very prominent. Sincerity can be said to have not been secret before cultivation, and later turned refined.
After Mr. Mercury's re-compilation, the biography of "Water Conservancy Preparation", which was originally in the state of loose notes, has been renewed, showing the style of a chronicle book. After nearly a thousand years, the "Water Conservancy Review" finally has a new and reasonable final version, and Xun is a hero of Wei Hyun.
In the past ten years, I have advocated the theory of change in the Song and Yuan dynasties, examined the social transformation of the Southern Song Dynasty to the Yuan Dynasty, and explored China's journey from the Song and Yuan dynasties to the Ming and Qing dynasties to today. The focus of research is on local communities. The great historical changes brought about by the change of Jingkang brought the Southern Song Dynasty back to the Southern Dynasty, the political center of gravity and the economic center of gravity were integrated, the Jiangnan economy was prosperous, the regional society was strong, and the difficulties of the career made the scholar flow diversified, and the local scholar and scholar led the social transformation. Judging from the life of Wei Hyun, the author of the "Water Conservancy Review" examined in this book, Wei Hyun, who served as a middle-level bureaucrat like Zhizhou, lived in the countryside in his later years and presided over the water conservancy construction in the township. This is a good case of the people and doctors who are active in the local community.
Wei Hyun, who lived near its mountain weir back then, has always paid attention to and participated in the water conservancy construction of his hometown from being an official outside the country to retiring to the countryside. And when I flipped through the proofreading manuscript of this "Water Conservancy Review", I felt that Mr. Mercury's efforts and energy were several times that of just sitting in the book to sort out the literature, which was admirable. A solid study of an ancient book that was originally only more than 20,000 words was conducted, and the text of proofreading and research also exceeded the original book by more than ten times. I think there is a source of motivation for putting in such a big effort. Like Wei Hyun back then, it is Mr. Mercury's deep love for the countryside. In the preface, we can repeatedly see such a cordial title as "my hometown". Mr. Mercury, who was born in Si and grew up in Si, is familiar with the local history and culture of Ningbo, and more than ten years ago, he wrote and published a long historical novel "Ningbo! Ningbo! (Zhejiang People's Publishing House, 2011).
The love of the countryside is only a driving force, and in practice, it also requires a profound foundation in literary and historical research. After all, the fields of literary and historical research and literary creation are suspended. However, as an expert in Ningbo's local culture, Mr. Mercury communicated the two. We observe the other side of Mr. Mercury, and there are many literary and historical research works. He is the author of "Spirit Appears for a Thousand Years: A Historical Tale of Ningbo Laojiang Bridge" (Ningbo Publishing House, 2017), "The World Opens a Port: A History of the Human Geography of Ningbo Port" (Ningbo Publishing House, 2018), "Research on the Water Conservancy History of Ningbo Tang and Song Dynasties" (Ningbo Publishing House, 2019), "Renshan Zhishui: A Historical Tale of the Map of Dongqian Lake" (Ningbo Publishing House, 2019), and "Dijie Renling: A History of Old Films of Dongqian Lake" (Ningbo Publishing House, 2020). These works alone can show Mr. Mercury's profound research skills on the local history and culture of Ningbo. Wouldn't it be appropriate for such an expert to sort out such a vernacular document?
History is a mirror, and the steps of predecessors will leave useful enlightenment for future generations. At that time, Wei Xian compiled the "Water Conservancy Review", and according to himself, "those who understand water politics may be easy to do when they look at this." That is to say, the compilation of the book has a strong sense of reality and is to provide a reference for water conservancy builders. In this sense, nearly a thousand years later, Mr. Mercury made a wish to vigorously organize the "Water Conservancy Review", not only out of love for the countryside, but also out of the ghost of the past, which is also of practical significance.
The title of the book "It Attacks the Wrong Mountain" is very good, and the experience left by "Water Conservancy Review" is not only in Ningbo, but also has enlightenment value for water conservancy construction in other places today. However, the examination and interpretation of the "Water Conservancy Review" in this book is richer in content, with detailed explanations, errors, and supplements, which has greatly surpassed on the basis of the "Water Conservancy Review", and is like a detailed compilation of information. Although the analysis and argument may be debatable, such an operation is undoubtedly not only credited with the book "Water Conservancy Review", but also has extremely valuable practical significance for historical reference today.
I am not familiar with Mr. Mercury, whom I have never met. After making connections on WeChat, he recounted an old dating story I forgot, an interaction I had on a blog more than a decade ago. At the same time as the narration, he sent a photo of the book, and he had already written that interaction in a note in his book "Lingxian Thousand Years: A History of Laojiang Bridge in Ningbo": "Qiandao's "Four Ming Zhi" and other books are written as 'cautious and gentle', according to Mr. Wang Ruilai's advice, in order to avoid the voice of Song Xiaozong, avoid caution. Mr. Mercury's humility and studiousness and shamelessness to ask questions can be seen here.
(P.S. As the first of the "Yongshang Jiwen", this book was published by Mr. Watermark at his own expense.) I think if this book can be officially published by a publishing house and widely distributed, the academic impact and reference for the actual water conservancy construction will be of greater significance. ）