A Study Of Book Collection, Reading And Book Social Network Among Bibliophiles In Jiangnan During The Ming And Qing Dynasties

This study uses history of books and the history of reading as an entry point,taking Qi Biaojia,a representative book collector in Jiangnan during the Ming and Qing dynasties,as well as the Diary of Qi Biaojia as the main textual support,to conduct a quantitative and qualitative analysis of Qi Biaojia's book collecting,reading and his social network by books,and to explore the overall style of Qi Biaojia's collecting and reading,as well as the profound influence of books on his life choices.The case study of Qi Biaojia has been studied from different perspectives,but few of them have independently and deeply interpreted his book collecting,reading and social situation from the perspective of history of books and the history of reading.This study discusses this aspect in order to broaden the research horizon and make an attempt in the interdisciplinary dialogue between librarianship,history,sociology and anthropology.First,This study outlines the prosperity of the book industry in the Jiangnan region during the Ming and Qing dynasties,when commerce developed and new ideas emerged,and analyzes the book-collecting family style of the Qi Biaojia's family,all of which laid the foundation for the development of his book-collecting business and book socialization.At the same time,Qi Biaojia also made outstanding contributions to the family's book-collecting business.Secondly,through a quantitative and qualitative analysis of Qi Biaojia's book collecting and reading behavior between the fourth year of Chongzhen(1631)and the first year of Hongguang(1645)as recorded in the Diary of Qi Biaojia.It was found that Qi Biaojia's book collecting and reading showed a preference for "studying scripture and history,but also literature and art" and "studying Yangming studies,as well as Buddhism and Taoism".Third,This study examines Qi Biaojia's social network by books from both macro and micro perspectives.The macroscopic aspect is to explore the general characteristics of Qi Biaojia's social network by books.Using the Digital Humanities approach,this study analyses Qi Biaojia's social network by books with others as recorded in his diary using the social network analysis tool Gephi,and find that the network is characterized by "weak ties","hierarchy" and "cliques".The microscopic aspects of Qi Biaojia's social network by books were examined in terms of "identity of the person" and "social style".Finally,a cultural interpretation of Qi Biaojia's book collecting,reading,and the behavior of book socialization is presented.First,the diverse reading content chosen by Qi Biaojia personally reflects the mixed cultural and social trends in the Jiangnan region during the Ming and Qing dynasties.Second,Qi Biaojia's book collecting,reading and the behavior of book socialization reflect the rediscovery and valuing of the materiality of books.Third,Qi Biaojia's social network by books provided an opportunity to expand his interpersonal circle,forming a "cultural-social circle" with him as the core.The "cultural capital" and "social capital" are transformed and consolidated in the book socialization.