GU XUE CONG KAN 古學叢刊 [Serialized Publications of the Academy of Ancient Studies]

Issues 1-8 (of 9?). Several black & white photographs. Eight vols. 8vo, orig. wrappers, orig. block-printed title labels on upper covers, orig. stitching. Beijing: Beijing guxue yuan 北京古學院, 1939-40.




A good run, apparently lacking only the final volume, of the serial publication of Beijing guxue yuan, the Beijing Academy for Ancient Studies, was founded in 1937 following the Japanese occupation of northern China, including Beijing. The Academy was a conservative institution dedicated to teaching and publishing in a traditional Confucian vein. Its history is described in the first issue of the series, and its bylaws are included in an appendix. Other content includes studies of the ancient lexicographical work Shuo wen jie zi 說文解字 [Explain the Graphs to Unravel the Written Words], historical geography, notes on the ancient philosophical works Laozi and Zhuangzi, a study on Confucius's disciples, and epigraphy, as well as literature in various genres. The organization had close ties to the Japanese occupation authorities during the second Sino-Japanese War, the part of World War II that took place in China. The collection gives an insight into the intellectual life of collaborationist circles in Beijing wartime.


Fine set.