Books Associated with Wang Yuanbiao

The Jinjing Lord Liao’s Secretly Transmitted Heart Method of Earth Learning, Correct Transmission, Strategy, and Sand-Sweeping Classic—written by the Jinjing Mountain Man Liao Yu of Qianzhou in the Song; collected by Peng Daxiong of Bangcaili in Yuzhang; edited by Jiang Zhidong of Menglongfu, Xingyuan, Xin’an in the Ming; collated by Wang Yuanbiao of Chengjingfu in ancient She; reviewed by Wu Gongsui of Jichangfu. It contains numerous diagrams of earth-sites and is collected in the Palace Museum collectanea.

The Illustrated Direct Pointing of Helping the Yuan is formerly attributed to Liu Ji, corrected by Wang Yuanbiao, edited by Jiang Zhidong. In the world there is a “Fu of Direct Pointing of Helping the Yuan,” transmitted as written by Ji. In the Ding-Mao year of the Tianqi reign, Zhidong thus expanded it into diagrams and compiled annotations; Yuanbiao was the one who block-printed and issued it. The book focuses on examining earth; on mountain motion, trigram positions, star officials, and hanging-hidden doctrine it is somewhat complete; from volume eight onward it details the essentials of selection. At the end is appended auspicious and baleful on going up the mountain to office; intermittently it samples the doctrines of Liu Ren, Dun Jia, and You Lu wondrous instruments—compared to arts masters’ groundless wandering talk, still more concise and apt.

Comment: There was no Ren-Wu year during the Hongwu reign, so this book is surely spurious.

The Block-printed Zhengzhuan Geography Unified Complete Book Revised by Master Yangzhi, twelve volumes plus one opening volume, compiled by Yu Xiangdou of the Ming. Block-printed in the first year of Chongzhen (1628) by Yu Yingqiu and Yu Yingke. Sixteen volumes. Eleven lines of twenty-eight characters per half-page, single border all around, white mouth, single fishtail. Frame height 22.4 cm, width 13.4 cm. The opening volume is titled “San-tai Mountain Man Yangzhi Yu Xiangdou compiled and authored.” Prefaces by Wang Yuanbiao of the first year of Chongzhen, Qi Biaojia of the first year of Chongzhen, Hu Mingzuo of the seventh year of Tianqi (1627), Qian Jideng of the first year of Chongzhen, monk Da Yi of the seventh year of Tianqi, and Zhu Shoujian of the first year of Chongzhen; plus Yu Xiangdou’s own preface. Nineteen rules of the general provisions. Also the opening volume is titled “Jiashan Qian Jideng Longmen Father, Zhao Tian Yuan Yan Ruosi Father collated and examined; Tong’an Hu Mingzuo Liangfu Father, Wushui Zhu Tingdan Erjian Father collated and corrected; Xiyi Yu Xiangdou Yangzhi Father authored; Shulin nephew Yingqiu Youlong Father, Qiaochuan son Yingke Junhan Father printed in woodblock.” The other Jingyu Leichao does not concern the arts and so is not mentioned.

Comment: Yu Xiangdou was a bookseller, yet the books he compiled were mostly private piecing-together, deletions and alterations to dazzle eyes; his annotated Water Margin was already chaotic and unmanageable, and he was all the bolder in plagiarism—since it concerns the arts, one cannot fully trust it.