Reprint of the Records of Xuanmiao Guan 重印玄妙观志

Compiled by Gu Xiangzhou of the Qing Dynasty.

Originally published during the Daoguang reign, it was reprinted in the 16th year of the Republican period of China, consisting of twelve volumes and included in the Topography of Temples and Abbeys category of Daoist Texts Outside the Canon.

Reprint of the Records of Xuanmiao Guan

This is a comprehensive gazetteer of Xuanmiao Guan in Suzhou. Preceding the volumes are records of the emperors of the Qing Dynasty offering incense at Xuanmiao Guan during their southern tours and the inscriptions of imperial calligraphy plaques; followed by four comparative maps of Xuanmiao Guan in its old and new layouts during the Qianlong and Daoguang reigns. Volume 1: The Main Record It selects and compiles accounts of the historical evolution of Xuanmiao Guan from gazetteers such as Wu Jun Guo Jing, Wu Jun Zhi, Suzhou Fu Zhi, Ming Yi Tong Zhi, Changzhou Xian Zhi, Da Qing Yi Tong Zhi, Jiangnan Tong Zhi, Xin Fu Zhi, Bai Cheng Yan Shui and Cai Feng Lei Ji. Volume 2 It elaborates on the incorporation of outer courtyards, halls and palaces, shrines and temples, historical sites, lanes and alleys, as well as bridges associated with the temple. Volumes 3 to 4: Biographies of Taoist Masters They record brief biographies of Taoist Priests who practiced and attained remarkable achievements at the temple from the Northern Wei Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty. Volume 5: Epigraphy and Stone Carvings It collects works of calligraphers and painters from the Tang Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, including those by dozens of renowned artists such as Wu Daozi, Shen Wenhan, Wang Songzheng, Lu Yuanji, Zhao Mengfu, Song Lian, Peng Xizheng and Liang Zhangju. Volumes 6 to 11: Collected Poems and Proses Volume 12: Miscellaneous Records

All the above volumes contain historical accounts of Xuanmiao Guan spanning more than a thousand years.

This work is an important source material for the study of the history of the Dao in Suzhou.