Li Daoyuan
Encyclopedia
Li Daoyuan was a Chinese
geographer
during the
times of the Northern Wei Dynasty. He is known as the author of
the Commentary to the River Classic
(Shui Jing Zhu).
Li Daoyuan used his position as an official with business in different places to carry field investigations. He is known to have visited the area belonging to the present-day Henan
, Shandong
,
Shanxi
, and Jiangsu
provinces.
Another source for his knowledge was the study of ancient geographical books he had access to, like the Mountain and Sea Classics
(Shan Hai Jing, completed by the time of the Qin Dynasty
or early Western Han Dynasty) and the Waterways Classic (Shui Jing), written by Sang Qin during the Three Kingdoms Period) and commentated later by Guo Pu
(郭璞). Li vastly expanded the Waterways Classic, doing his own research and fieldwork. The original Waterways Classic, which has not survived, covered 127 rivers and streams and contains about 10,000 characters; Li Daoyuan's Commentary on the Waterways Classic (Shui Jing Zhu
, discusses 1252 watercourses and contains about 300,000 characters in total. The book maps and describes the rivers and streams along with the history, geography and culture of the surrounding region.
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
geographer
Geographer
A geographer is a scholar whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society.Although geographers are historically known as people who make maps, map making is actually the field of study of cartography, a subset of geography...
during the
times of the Northern Wei Dynasty. He is known as the author of
the Commentary to the River Classic
Shui Jing Zhu
Shui Jing Zhu is a work on the ancient geography of China. It is an annotated and much expanded version of an older text, the Shui Jing , which has been lost.The annotated version was compiled by Li Daoyuan Shui Jing Zhu is a work on the ancient geography of China. It is an annotated and much...
(Shui Jing Zhu).
Li Daoyuan used his position as an official with business in different places to carry field investigations. He is known to have visited the area belonging to the present-day Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
, Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
,
Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
, and Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
provinces.
Another source for his knowledge was the study of ancient geographical books he had access to, like the Mountain and Sea Classics
Shan Hai Jing
Shan Hai Jing is a Chinese classic text, and a compilation of early geography and myth. Versions of the text have existed since the 4th century BC, and by the early Han Dynasty it had reached its final form. It is largely a fabled geographical and cultural account of pre-Qin China as well as a...
(Shan Hai Jing, completed by the time of the Qin Dynasty
Qin Dynasty
The Qin Dynasty was the first imperial dynasty of China, lasting from 221 to 207 BC. The Qin state derived its name from its heartland of Qin, in modern-day Shaanxi. The strength of the Qin state was greatly increased by the legalist reforms of Shang Yang in the 4th century BC, during the Warring...
or early Western Han Dynasty) and the Waterways Classic (Shui Jing), written by Sang Qin during the Three Kingdoms Period) and commentated later by Guo Pu
Guo Pu
Guo Pu , courtesy name Jingchun , born in Yuncheng, Shanxi, was a Chinese writer.-Biography:Guo Pu was a Taoist mystic, geomancer, collector of strange tales, editor of old texts, and erudite commentator...
(郭璞). Li vastly expanded the Waterways Classic, doing his own research and fieldwork. The original Waterways Classic, which has not survived, covered 127 rivers and streams and contains about 10,000 characters; Li Daoyuan's Commentary on the Waterways Classic (Shui Jing Zhu
Shui Jing Zhu
Shui Jing Zhu is a work on the ancient geography of China. It is an annotated and much expanded version of an older text, the Shui Jing , which has been lost.The annotated version was compiled by Li Daoyuan Shui Jing Zhu is a work on the ancient geography of China. It is an annotated and much...
, discusses 1252 watercourses and contains about 300,000 characters in total. The book maps and describes the rivers and streams along with the history, geography and culture of the surrounding region.