Abstract：In the pioneering stage of Dunhuang Studies, with Luo Zhenyu as the representative, numerous scholars compiled, copied, depicted, and published a great deal of literature, yet this literature has not been fully utilized in today’s Dunhuang academic research. Therefore, taking Zhensongtang Cang Xichui Miji Congcan compiled by Luo Zhenyu in 1939 as a typical example, this paper expounds on the great value of early published literature for Dunhuang academic research today and proposes the issues that should be considered when using such literature.The compilation and publication of Dunhuang documents in the early days did not form a standardized pattern. Congcan was neither cataloged nor titled, thus making it difficult for researchers, including Luo himself, to accurately determine the number and content of the printed manuscripts contained within it. Based on the research of renowned scholars such as Wang Zhongmin, Lin Pinghe, and others, combined with the latest research results of each scroll, we conducted a thorough combing of Congcan and identified 35 kinds of 95 pieces of fragmentary scrolls or fragments: 17 kinds of 69 pieces in Volume 1, 7 kinds of 7 pieces in Volume 2, and 11 kinds of 19 pieces in Volume 3. It is widely known that after the death of Luo, his collected manuscripts were scattered in batches. Through the analysis of elements such as characters, successive content, writing styles, seals, inscriptions and postscripts, etc., of handwritten scrolls, with a comprehensive search of the catalogs published by various collection institutions and the journals and papers published publicly, it was found that 51 of them were eventually collected in the National Museum of China, the National Library of China, the Palace Museum, the Nanjing Museum, the Liaoning Provincial Museum, the Shanghai Municipal Library, the Peking University Library, and other places after nearly a hundred years of circulation.Even for the same manuscript, there are often discrepancies between the images in Congcan and the latest materials publicly released by the institutions. For example, in the two articles published by Wang Su et al., which introduced the basic information of Dunhuang literature collected in the Palace Museum, the four sections numbered New 179084 were once included in Congcan. Upon comparison with Congcan, it was discovered that there were potential modifications to be made to the title, and starting and ending records of the fragments in the articles. In addition, after comparing the former and new images of the same manuscript, it was found that BD14521 published by the National Library of China was incomplete, with the first image missing in the printing, while Congcan was consistent with the one released in the International Dunhuang Project, and was complete. By taking the former and current collectors of manuscripts as clues, and combining the postscripts, titles, seals, and other related information on the manuscripts, it can be seen that in the early transactions, antique dealers and booksellers sought to maximize their profits, and there was a common phenomenon of splitting manuscripts. After splitting, the fragments of similar content tended to be restitched together into booklets or long scrolls for circulation. Some collectors might repair their stored fragments by imitating the original calligraphic style and compose type, rather than blindly supplementing the entire text and pursuing a complete version. This can be regarded as an early thought of reconstructing the fragments to some extent.Meanwhile, due to objective technical limitations and subjective outdated concepts, literature published in the early period is inevitably subject to certain flaws. Some of the copies in Congcan have blurred and distorted edges and some of the copies are not directly based on the original. Furthermore, all of the manuscripts in Congcan are one-sided written, as Luo Zhenyu selectively chose some double-written manuscripts, omitting the side he deemed unimportant.As academic research advances, compared with our predecessors, we have more diverse and convenient ways to obtain various literature. While making full use of convenient databases and high-definition color images, we should also pay attention to the literature published in Congcan and other early periodicals. These printed materials from the early stage may be closer to the original appearance of the manuscripts and may contain some information that is almost impossible to verify but is nonetheless very important.
周思敏, 张涌泉. 敦煌学草创时期刊布的敦煌文献资料价值试论[J]. 浙江大学学报(人文社会科学版), 2023, 53(5): 5-19.
Zhou Simin, Zhang Yongquan. The Value of Dunhuang Literature Published in Pioneering Stage: A Case Study of Zhensongtang Cang Xichui Miji Congcan. JOURNAL OF ZHEJIANG UNIVERSITY, 2023, 53(5): 5-19.
2023, Vol. 53 
