THE YUNG LO TA TIEN 1407 (H4)
xxxxxThe colossal Chinese encyclopedia known as the Yung Lo Ta Tien was completed around 1407. Written by some 2,000 scholars, it covered a vast range of subjects, and included Confucian canon and a large amount of Chinese literature. It proved too costly to print and only a small number of manuscript rolls has survived. The work was directed by the Emperor Yung Lo, the man who, as we shall see (1414 H5), expanded the authority of the Ming Empire and was responsible for the building of the Forbidden City in Peking.
xxxxxThe Yung Lo Ta Tien was a gigantic Chinese encyclopedia, composed over five years under the direction of the Emperor Yung-
xxxxxMeaning The Great Canon of the Yung Lo Era, it was issued at the beginning of the fifteenth century, but only a small number of the rolls have survived, and these were published in 1963. It was considered of immense value as a piece of scholarship but, because of its enormous size, it proved too costly to print. It is believed that, eventually, three manuscript copes were made.
xxxxxIncidentally, it was Emperor Yung-
H4-