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Chujianpu 樗繭譜

Mar 3, 2022 © Ulrich Theobald

Chujianpu 樗繭譜 is a book on tussar silk or wild silk written during the late Qing period 清 (1644-1911) by Zheng Zhen 鄭珍 (1805-1864), courtesy name Ziyin 子尹, style Chaiweng 柴翁, from Zunyi 遵義, Guizhou. Zheng obtained his juren degree in 1837 and was assistant instructor (xundao 訓導) of Libo 荔波, Guizhou. He was inspired by the local magistrate's attempts to spread the use of breeding wild silkworms (shancan 山蠶), the larvae of Antheraea pernyi This was possible because the region was blessed with the oak tree Quercus dentata (jie 檞, chu 樗, zuo 柞). Wild silkworms had been introduced during the Qianlong reign-period 乾隆 (1736-1795).

The brief book is the result of the expertise Zheng acquired during the introduction of wild silk production. It describes in detail how to raise the silkworms, produce cocoons and gain yarns from them.

The Chujianpu was first printed in 1837, with comments by Mo Youzhi 莫友芝 (1811-1871). Master Hua 華氏 had produced a second print in the city of Luzhou 瀘州, Sichuan. The book is included in the series Nongxue congke 農學叢刻 and Nongxue congshu 農學叢書.

Sources:
Li Xueqin 李學勤, Lü Wenyu 呂文郁, eds. (1996). Siku da cidian 四庫大辭典 (Changchun: Jilin daxue chubanshe), Vol. 2, 1651.
Liang Guanghua 梁光華 (2011). "Mo Youzhi Chujian pu zhu chongjiao juyao 莫友芝《樗繭譜注》重校舉要", Qiannan Minzu Shifan Xueyuan xuebao 黔南民族師範學院學報, 2011 (1): 8-11.
Wu Feng 吳楓, ed. (1987). Jianming Zhongguo guji cidian 簡明中國古籍辭典 (Changchun: Jilin wenshi chubanshe), 923.
Wang Huyu 王毓瑚, ed. (1964). Zhongguo nongxue shulu 中國農學書錄 (Beijing: Nongye chubanshe), 261.
Wang Zhuangmu 王莊穆, ed. (1996). Zhongguo sichou cidian 中國絲綢辭典 (Beijing: Zhongguo kexue jishu chubanshe), 639.
Xie Xiaoming 謝孝明 (2021). "Chujianpu yu shatan sanxian shijue jingshi de yiyun 《樗繭譜》與沙灘三賢實學經世的意藴", Jiaoyu wenhua luntan 教育文化論壇, 2021 (2): 51-57.