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Fengtianlu 奉天錄

Mar 17, 2019 © Ulrich Theobald

Fengtianlu 奉天錄 "Notes on the metropolitan region" is a history book written by the late Tang-period 唐 (618-907) scholar Zhao Yuanyi 趙元一 (late 8th cent.). The 4-juan long text describes in detail the rebellions of various military commissioners some of whom even forced the imperial government to flee to Fengtian 奉天 (today's Qianxian 乾縣, Shaanxi). The warlord Zhu Ci 朱泚 (742-784), who had occupied Chang'an 長安 (Xi'an 西安, Shaanxi), even adopted the title of emperor of Qin 秦.

The book was written on the base of Zhao's own observations and experience during the time, and therefore of high value. In many field, it supplements information not found or corrects errors in the official dynastic histories Jiutangshu 舊唐書 and Xintangshu 新唐書.

The text was reconstructed on the base of extensive quotations in the encyclopaedia Yongle dadian 永樂大典. It was first printed in 1830 and is also included in the series Zhihai 指海, as critical edition comparing the first print and a manuscript version. It is also found in the series Yueyatang congshu 粵雅堂叢書, Yunzizaikan congshu 雲自在龕叢書 and Congshu jicheng chubian 叢書集成初編.

Sources:
Huang Shoucheng 黃壽成 (1996). "Zhao Yuanyi Fengtianlu de shiliao jiazhi 趙元一《奉天錄》的史料價值", Luoyang Shizhuan xuebao 洛陽師專學報, 1996 (8).
Wu Feng 吳楓, ed. (1987). Jianming Zhongguo guji cidian 簡明中國古籍辭典 (Changchun: Jilin wenshi chubanshe), 466.
Wu Feng 吳楓, ed. (1994). Zhonghua gu wenxian da cidian 中華古文獻大辭典, Vol. Wenxue 文學卷 (Changchun: Jilin wenshi chubanshe), 364.
Yuan Mingren 袁明仁 et al., eds. (1992). Sanqin lishi wenhua cidian 三秦歷史文化辭典 (Xi'an: Shaanxi renmin jiaoyu chubanshe), 115.