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Heilongjiang waiji 黑龍江外記

Oct 25, 2019 © Ulrich Theobald

Heilongjiang waiji 黑龍江外記 is an unofficial description of the province of Heilongjiang written by Xiqing 西清 (Sicing), courtesy name Yanzhai 研齋, from the Sirin Gioro clan 西林覺羅氏 and member of the Bordered Blue Manchu Banner (Ch. Manzhou xianglanqi 滿洲瓖藍旗).

The book of 8 juan, finished in 1810 in manuscript form, is written consistently in the style of a local gazetteer, beginning with the geography and history of the region (1), and then describing the cities, postal stations and military posts (2), of the local tribes, the number of their households, the administrative and the military system (3), the regulations for the salaries of the officialdom and the pay for the army, as well as the balance of the provincial treasure (4). The second half of the book describes regional tributes, customs and habits, as well as legal matters (5) the custom of exile for penal servitude (zheshu 謫戍), dialects, food and social ceremonies as weddings and funerals (6), biographies of important officials and travellers (7), and finally local food plants and products. The gazetteer covers a wide range of themes and is therefore a highly important source on the history of Heilongjiang and its inhabitants. The text is headed by several maps.

The book was first printed in 1895, in the series Jianxi cunshe congke 漸西村舍叢刻. It is also found in the Guangya congshu 廣雅叢書, Huangchao fanshu yudi congshu 皇朝藩屬輿地叢書, Xiaofanghuzhai yudi congchao 小方壺齋輿地叢鈔, Longsha liu zhong 龍沙六種 and Congshu jicheng chubian 叢書集成初編. In 1984 the Heilongjiang Renmin Chubanshe 黑龍江人民出版社 published a puncutated edition. Ten years later it became part of the series Heishui congshu 黑水叢書 by the same publisher.

Source:
Cao Dianju 曹殿舉 (1983). "Xiqing he ta de Heilongjiang waiji 西清和他的《黑龍江外記》", Wenxian 文獻, 1983 (12).
Gao Wende 高文德, ed. (1995). Zhongguo shaoshu minzu shi da cidian 中國少數民族史大辭典 (Changchun: Jilin jiaoyu chubanshe), 2230.
Gu Feng 谷風 (1981). "Manzu xuezhe Xiqing he Heilongjiang waiji 滿族學者西清和《黑龍江外記》", Heilongjiang wenwu congkan 黑龍江文物叢刊, 1981 (6).
Heilongjiang baike quanshu bianzuan weiyuanhui 《黑龍江百科全書》編纂委員會, Zhongguo da baike quanshu chubanshe bianjibu 《中國大百科全書》出版社編輯部, ed. (2007). Heilongjiang baike quanshu 黑龍江百科全書 (Beijing: Zhongguo da baike quanshu chubanshe), 65.
Li Xueqin 李學勤, Lü Wenyu 呂文郁, ed. (1996). Siku da cidian 四庫大辭典 (Changchun: Jilin daxue chubanshe), Vol. 1, 1182.
Ma Changquan 馬長泉, Wei Zhanbin 韋占彬 (2003). "Lüelun Heilongjiang waiji de shiliao jiazhi 略論《黑龍江外記》的史料價值", Shijiazhuang Shifan Zhuanke Xuexiao xuebao 石家庄師範專科學校學報, 2003 (3).
Wu Feng 吳楓, ed. (1987). Jianming Zhongguo guji cidian 簡明中國古籍辭典 (Changchun: Jilin wenshi chubanshe), 847.