Wu Yi And Epigraphy In The Reign Of Emperor Qianlong And Jiaqing

Epigraphy reached a peak during the reign of Emperor Qianlong and Jiaqing in the Qing Dynasty.There were many outstanding epigraphists who searched and visited stone steles,collected rubbings,compiled tablet catalogues,read and recorded inscriptions,and verified the history of classics and so on.Wu Yi was one of the epigraphists who enriched and deepened the literature research of epigraphy.Wu Yi(1745-1799),whose style name is “Xugu”,pseudonym(hao)“Xiaoshi” or “Banshi Shanren”,who was born in Yanshi in Henan Province.He devoted his whole life to the search of stone and his research.His works on epigraphy,such as: “Jinshi Sanba”,“Shoutang Jinshi Wenzi Xuba”,“Yanshi Jinshi Ji”,“Anyang Jinshi Lu”,etc..All are well known for their influential detailed and accurate research.Based on the basic principle of “knowing people and discussing the world”,this paper adopts the method of combining the literature description with the historical textual research to collect and sort the works,correspondence,pictures and diaries of Wu Yi and his teachers and friends,describing Wu Yi's family and the network of his teachers and friends and explaining the reasons for the formation of Wu Yi's academic character.This paper tries to sum up his ideas and methods on epigraphy,show its academic value in an all-round way and establish its position in the academic history of Qing Dynasty.