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The Ch'ing government inherited the court collections of previous dynasties, and it inspired many new styles of arts and crafts at the same time. The richness of the Ch'ing imperial collection reached unprecedented heights, so the compilation of various catalogues became an important task of the Wu-ying Palace. For example, Hsi-ch'ing Antiquities and Hsi-ch'ing Manual of Inkstones both include illustrations based on objects in the court collection, revealing the Ch'ien-lung Emperor's interests in antiquities. As for both ancient and contemporary works of painting and calligraphy as well as collected books from the ages, catalogues were also compiled for use in cross-checking. After establishing the Library of the Four Treasuries, General Catalogue and Abstracts of All Books in the Four Treasuries was printed by the Wu-ying Palace, representing a monumental work in the history of Chinese bibliography that also reflected the cultural vision of the Ch'ing rulers. As for the Anthology of Literary Works serving as a repository of the emotions and interests of the emperor, they also reveal the imperial appreciation of art and culture. Likewise, both Poetry of the Summer Mountain Palace Retreat and Poetry on the Forty Views at the Garden of Perfect Brilliance reveal an admiration on the part of the Ch'ing imperial clan for the gardens of Kiangnan.
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Hsi-ch'ing Antiquities
Written on imperial order by Liang Shih-cheng, et al., Ch'ing Dynasty
1755 Wu-ying Palace imprint, Ch'ing Dynasty
故殿016958-016997
This book is a catalogue of approximately 1,500 bronzes in the Ch'ing court collection. Each is accompanied by an illustration, a copy of its inscription, and a description of its size, providing a glimpse into the wealth of the Ch'ing court collection of antiquities. The term "Hsi-ch'ing" refers to a place of peace and quiet in the palace, deriving from the "Shang-lin fu" in Literary Anthology. In the Ch'ing dynasty, the Southern Study was also known as Hsi-ch'ing (Western Purity), and, under the Ch'ien-lung Emperor, the work editing and compiling collectanea was done there.
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Imperially Poetry on the Forty Views at the Garden of Perfect Brilliance
Written by the Ch'ien-lung Emperor and annotated by Oer-t'ai, Ch'ing Dynasty
1745 Wu-ying Palace black-and-red set imprint, Ch'ing Dynasty
故殿024042-024043
The Garden of Perfect Brilliance was built in 1709 and expanded in the reigns of the Yung- cheng and Ch'ien-lung Emperors. Its scale and landscaping were magnificent, and full of scenic sites, representing the land and waters of Kiangnan. There are 40 illustrations with poems in this book, and each of them is given a unique title, from "Cheng-ta kuan-ming" (Justice and Honor) to "Tung-t'ien shen-ch'u" (Deep in the Cavern of the Heavens). These illustrations were drawn by the imperial painters Shen Yüan and Sun Yu and carved by skilled craftsmen. Because of the excellent quality, it became a masterpiece of engraving in Chinese art history.
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