Wenchang Buildings in Late Imperial China

A Consideration of the Visual Record in Late Imperial Local Gazetteers

Abstract

Structures dedicated to the high god Wenchang and his subordinate Kuixing were a pervasive feature of cityscapes in late imperial China. Common in Daoist and Confucian temples as well as schools both public and private, the buildings also broke free from walled complexes as stand-alone attractions. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, the practice of building a high structure as a geomantic intervention to improve the collective prospects of local candidates on the civil service examinations — first attested in the Southern Song — combined with devotional practices to the Daoist god Wenchang. The present article considers the range of visual sources available on these structures, the questions that can be asked of these images, and the written textual source that complement the visual record. A case study from Suzhou demonstrates the ways in which the visual materials in gazetteers on the Wenchang towers in a particular locality can shed light on urban spatial dynamics and contests for power among local elites.

文昌建築：中國明清方志中的視覺史志

供奉文昌帝君及其侍從魁星的建築在明清時期普遍可見。它們通常建在道觀、孔廟、公立書院或私塾中，也有的脫離圍墻獨自立於城中而成爲景觀。據史料記載，通過修樓建閣祐助當地學子科考取得功名的習俗最早始於南宋，在明清時期與道教文昌神的祭祀結合了起來。對於目前收錄的相關視覺材料，本文考察了資料的規模、可以探討的問題以及內容上補充視覺記錄的文本資料，以蘇州某地的地方志為案例，展示如何透過文昌閣的視覺圖像洞悉當地空間的發展演化與地方勢力的權力鬥爭。