The Main Influence of Sikuquanshu

Sikuquanshu has preserved a large number of documents of China in past dynasties. Many original versions are precious and rare, such as Song and Yuan dynasty block prints or old manuscripts; There are also many books that have been lost for a long time, which were rediscovered in the process of book revision; And there are also some books compiled from ancient books, such as 385 books compiled by Yongle Dadian. The compilation of Sikuquanshu has a great influence on the later academic circles, both in the method of arranging ancient books and in the aspects of compilation, collation and bibliography. But after all, Sikuquanshu is the product of emperor Qianlong's policy of cultural autocracy in the name of "commenting on ancient texts". Taking the opportunity of compiling Sikuquanshu, Qianlong collected books from the whole country and implemented the policy of "no collection". He destroyed and tampered with a large number of books that were not conducive to the rule of the Qing Dynasty. Sikuquanshu highlights Confucian literature and literature that reflects the "literary ambition and martial arts" of the Qing rulers, and puts Confucian works in a prominent position. For example, the works of some Han people, such as Tang Bin, who obeyed the rule of Yu Daqing, were valued, while the works of some contemporary literati, such as Huang Zongxi, Gu, were attacked and banned. Put Confucian classics at the head of the four books, and general Confucian works at the head of the sub-department; He despised scientific and technological works and thought that modern western science and technology was "the most heretical", so he could "learn from it and prohibit the spread of its learning". Except for a few scientific and technological works collected by farmers, doctors and astronomical algorithms, general scientific and technological works are not included; It does not include literature with democratic colors or dare to criticize Confucianism, nor does it include dramas and popular novels such as Song and Yuan dramas, storytelling novels and legends of the Ming Dynasty.

Historically, there have been different comments on Ganlong's Sikuquanshu. Some people think that the revision of this book is helpful to the preservation and dissemination of China's traditional culture. It has also been pointed out that Qianlong imprisoned his thoughts in the name of writing books. This question helps us to look at the influence of Gan Long and SikuQuanshu on China culture from different angles, and let us try to look at the problem from the standpoint of different characters. But at least the real impact on China should be treated fairly. It's a fact that "a million horses have lost their lives", a literary inquisition is a fact, and ignorance in captivity is also a fact.

Sikuquanshu has preserved many ancient books that are close to being lost in China, and corrected the mistakes and omissions in them. But during the revision of books, some books were destroyed and banned at the same time. Ganlong devoted himself to compiling Sikuquanshu, but Daxing Wenzi Prison harmed scholars and caused incalculable losses to the later development of science, technology and culture in China.