Shishi jupu 史氏菊譜

Shishi Jupu 史氏菊譜 is a book on chrysanthemums written during the Song period 宋 (960-1279) by Shi Zhengzhi 史正志 (jinshi degree 1151), courtesy name Zhidao 志道, style Wumen Laopu 吳門老圃. He hailed from Shaoxing 紹興 (modern Shaoxing, Zhejiang) and crowned his career with the post of Vice Minister of Personnel (libu shilang 吏部侍郎). Shi served as a local official in several towns of southeastern China in his later years retired to Gusu 姑蘇 (modern Suzhou 蘇州, Jiangsu).

In order not to confuse Shi's book with Liu Meng's 劉蒙 (fl. 1104) book with the same title, it is called Shishi jupu or Shi Laopu jupu 史老圃菊譜 and not simply Jupu 菊譜. Shi wrote numerous poems and essays, like Qinghuige shi 清暉閣詩, Jiankangzhi 建康志, or Jupuji 菊圃集, most of which are lost today.

Shi Zhengshi's book on chrysanthemums begins with a list of the different kinds of flowers, the yellow kinds coming first, with the "great golden" (dajinhuang 大金黃) as the best, followed by white flowers, crowned by the type "golden bowl on the silver terrace" (jinzhanyintai 金盞銀臺), and finally coming to flowers of other colours like red and purple, the best of which he says to be the kind "model chrysanthemum" (yangju 樣菊). For each of the 28 kinds of chrysanthemums, the author provides a short description.

The postface, dated 1175, deals with a discussion of Wang Anshi 王安石 (1021-1086) and Ouyang Xiu 歐陽修 (1007-1072) about the term "falling of flowers" (luo ying 落英) and whether they could be consumed or not.

From the content, it can be seen that Shi Zhengzhi did not know or consult Liu Meng's book on chrysanthemums. Shi's book can be criticized for the abundant quoting from poetry, which is indeed not necessary for this kind of book.

The Shishi Jupu is included in the series Baichuan xuehai 百川學海, Shuofu 說郛, Xiangyan congshu 香艷叢書, Gujin wenyi congshu 古今文藝叢書, Congshu jicheng chubian 叢書集成初編 and Siku quanshu 四庫全書.