Yueyatang congshu


Yueyatang congshu is a major collectaneum of the Qing dynasty, financed by Wu Chongyao, bibliophile and proprietor of the Ewo Hong, one of the Thirteen Hongs of Canton. It was named after his library Yueyatang. The actual editorial work was carried out by the scholar Tan Ying, whom Wu patronized.
It was published in three series and 30 collections that includes according to Chinaknowledge 208 books with a length of 1,289 juan. It includes works mainly from the Tang to Qing periods, covering classics, philology, history, geography, epigraphy, bibliography, and literature. Each text is accompanied by a colophon giving the author’s biography and an assessment of the work. Though attributed to Wu or his son Wu Shaotang, these were written by Tan Ying. Under the name of Wu were published also three other collectanea, including the Lingnan yishu.
The Yueyatang congshu preserves many rare texts and corrects errors found in the Siku Quanshu and Yongle Dadian.
The Hanyu da zidian, for example, makes frequent use of its editions.