Kind-Hearted Overseas Chinese Help Restore the Qing Daoguang Edition of Youxi County Gazetteer

Photocopy of the Qing Daoguang Edition of Youxi County Gazetteer (partial). – Photo by Wu Zhenhu

China News Service, Sanming, August 9 (Reported by Lei Chaoliang and Wu Zhenhu) – Recently, a photocopy of the 1831 Qing Daoguang Edition of the Youxi County Gazetteer, which had been in Japan for 115 years, returned to its hometown. "Three months of effort have finally paid off, and I feel a great sense of relief," said Xu Kaiqin, a native of Youxi County, Sanming City, Fujian Province, during the handover ceremony. Xu could hardly hide his excitement。

Although only a photocopy returned, as the tightly wrapped package was slowly opened, many in attendance had tears in their eyes。

Discovering the Rare Edition

Xu Kaiqin, a native of Yongkou Village, Xibin Town, Youxi County, holds a master’s and doctorate from Tohoku University in Japan. He is currently a distinguished professor at the School of Civil Engineering at Fuzhou University, a consultant to the Fujian Provincial Government, and a visiting researcher at Japan's National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES)。

How did this professor, who primarily researches watershed water environment management, become connected with the Qing Daoguang Edition of the Youxi County Gazetteer?

"Since 2017, the County Party History and Local Records Office has paid special attention to compiling and organizing old gazetteers," said Qiu Shanshi, a member of the editorial team for the Youxi County Gazetteer. Over the years, they have searched through various channels to trace missing editions and have successfully located and collated the Ming Jiajing Edition, the Ming Chongzhen Edition, and the Qing Qianlong Edition of the Youxi County Gazetteer。

After collation, they found that gazetteers from 1776 (the 41st year of Qianlong) to 1927 (the 16th year of the Republic of China) were missing. After extensive searching and consulting the Comprehensive Catalogue of Old Gazetteers in Fujian Province, they discovered that a rare copy of the Qing Daoguang Edition (1831) was preserved in the Seikado Bunko Library in Japan, which could fill this gap。

But how could they bring the gazetteer back? Who could help? "It was a coincidence that we found Professor Xu Kaiqin," Qiu Shanshi said. On May 1 this year, during a literary event hosted by the Youxi Ziyang Poetry Society at Xiangshan Hall in Hualan Village, Xibin Town, Qiu participated alongside Hong Zhouzuo and Ji Xiuzhen (Professor Xu's cousin). There, they happened to meet Xu and mentioned the matter. Xu immediately offered to help with the inquiry。

Photocopy of the Qing Daoguang Edition of Youxi County Gazetteer (partial). – Photo by Wu Zhenhu

Kind-hearted Overseas Chinese Relay Efforts to Help the Return

The Seikado Bunko Library, a repository of treasures, is a private property of Japan’s Mitsubishi Corporation and has always been closed to the public. Only a select few experts and scholars have been granted access under strict application procedures, making readers extremely rare。

“At first, I wasn’t sure if this could be accomplished,” said Xu Kaiqin. Upon learning about it, his father and bro ther encouraged him to do everything possible to get it done。

Matters related to his hometown always received Xu’s utmost attention. However, as he was currently in China, traveling to Japan was inconvenient. After much thought, he decided to leverage his 37 years of connections in Japan and sought help from friends。

On May 7, he called two university professors in Japan and learned that, due to the pandemic, the library was open only one day a week and required prior written application for access. Xu then contacted his friend Lin Qiaoyang, Vice President of the Quanzhou Chamber of Commerce in Japan, to help photograph or photocopy the gazetteer. Lin readily agreed。

On May 12, Lin called the Seikado Bunko Library to inquire about viewing and photocopying the gazetteer but was initially rejected. Later, they were asked to submit an email application。

“Phone calls, emails, and multiple attempts over more than ten days yielded no results,” Xu said. Determined not to miss any opportunity, they added the following to one of their emails: “Youxi County hopes to organize and annotate its gazetteers, using this book as a reference. As this year marks the 50th anniversary of the normalization of Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations, we hope for your generous support.” Xu signed the email, after which the library’s attitude changed, and they began cooperating。

On May 27, Lin sent a message from Japan: “I just received a call from the library. They informed me that the application was approved! I am scheduled to visit on the afternoon of June 16. They said photography is not allowed, but I can apply for photocopies, which will take over a month since a professional company needs to film it onto microfilm before copying。

On June 9, more good news came: the professional company would visit the library the next day (they visit only once a month). “This progress was much faster than we expected, and I was so excited that I couldn’t sleep that night,” Xu said。

June 16 was the day of Lin Qiaoyang's scheduled viewing. Before him lay ten volumes of thread-bound ancient books, each very light in weight. The covers were smooth, resembling kraft paper. Some pages were very thin, while others were slightly thicker. The pages had turned yellow, with some areas showing severe wear, but overall, they were well preserved。

“I am especially grateful to the Seikado Bunko Library for preserving these ten volumes of ancient books so well, allowing future generations the rare opportunity to see them. At the same time, I feel deep sorrow and regret that such a Chinese treasure has unfortunately ended up in a foreign land,” Lin Qiaoyang said to Xu Kaiqin via WeChat。

After Many Efforts, the Treasure Finally Returns

“On July 2, Lin Qiaoyang sent another message, saying that the photocopy of the gazetteer had been received and reminded me: the copied gazetteer is not bound, and the paper is very thin, so please be extremely careful when unpacking.” At this, a weight was lifted from Xu Kaiqin’s heart。

The photographing and copying of the gazetteer incurred a cost. Both Xu Kaiqin and Lin Qiaoyang insisted on covering the expense. However, upon learning of the situation, Wang Xiude, President of the Quanzhou Chamber of Commerce in Japan, immediately took the initiative to pay the cost without hesitation。

Although the copied gazetteer was in hand, international EMS was not operating due to the pandemic. How could it be sent back to China? Xu Kaiqin, Lin Qiaoyang, and Wang Xiude discussed the matter and eventually sought help from Zhan Kongchao, Counselor and Consul General at the Chinese Embassy in Japan。

After learning that Wu Qilong, President of the Japan Fujian Economic and Cultural Promotion Association, would be returning to Fuzhou on July 14, Zhan reached out to him. Wu readily agreed without hesitation。

On July 14, Wu Qilong personally carried the ten volumes, comprising a total of 716 pages, from Tokyo to Hangzhou, keeping the “treasure” close at all times. After seven days of hotel quarantine, he brought it back to Fuqing, where he underwent an additional three days of home quarantine。

After the quarantine period ended, on July 24, Xu Kaiqin and his wife, Zheng Hongqing, drove from Fuzhou to Fuqing to retrieve the “treasure.” On July 28, they ceremoniously returned it to its hometown, Youxi。

“The return of the Qing Daoguang Edition of Youxi County Gazetteer is a momentous event and a joyous occasion for the cultural community of Youxi!” said Zheng Rongjian with deep emotion. “We especially thank these patriotic, hometown-loving, and responsible individuals with a strong sense of mission! Next, we will begin the collation and annotation of the gazetteer to fill this historical gap and share it with readers.” (End)