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Scholar’s meticulous and extensive research removes a slur on Jiading’s name
Print Edition
There’s an ancient ballad in Jiading that mentions Jiading old town in disparaging terms “Golden Luodian, Silver Nanxiang, Beggar Jiading ...”
It was an impression that held sway for many years until one man, through his extensive study, realized that it was all based on a misunderstanding.
The terms “beggar” and “educated” both read “jiaohua” in Chinese and what the ballad should have celebrating was Jiading’s rich cultural heritage.
The discovery came about when in 1985, the district sought scholars to compile the “County Annals of Jiading.” Tao Jiming, a native of Jiading and well known for his knowledge of the area’s history and culture, was appointed editor-in-chief.
Clearing up a misunderstanding
During his research, he came across the old ballad and thought there might be some misinterpretations and used local historic materials and his knowledge of phonology — the branch of linguistics to do with sounds — to argue that the line should really read “Golden Luodian, Silver Nanxiang, Well-educated Jiading ...”
His findings were published in a newspaper. To much positive reaction, his work was accepted as correcting a historic mistake or misinterpretation.
The corrected line was widely quoted and played no little part in enhancing the image of Jiading.
In late August this year, the “Collection of Jiading Inscription,” which was chiefly edited by Tao and had taken 13 years to compile, was published. The book detailed the district’s more than 300 stone tablets and 400 rubbing texts and also offered explanatory notes.
Tao’s interest in culture and history began 50 years ago when the 17-year-old boy stepped into the Xinhua Bookstore for the first time and bought two books.
He can still recall clearly the middle-aged woman who sold him the books, because it just so happened that later he became her apprentice when he got his first job at this bookstore.
Love of books from schooldays
Tao has been engrossed in the world of books since his schooldays.
He read the popular novels of that time “The Song of Youth,” “Railway Guerrillas” and “Tracks in the Snowy Forest,” all of which helped form his world view.
Also at that time, Tao read some works of Chinese famed writers Lu Xun and Guo Moruo, which ignited his burning interest in historical literature.
In 1972, he bought the first “Historical Records,” an ancient Chinese book recording more than 3,000 years of history from primitive ages to the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC to 24 AD), which kicked off his learning of authentic Chinese history.
Later, Tao bought other 23 books of dynastic histories.
In 1977, Tao got to know Liu Tianni, the disciple of Wang Guowei, a master of Chinese studies. Liu, who was nearly 80 at that time, used to be a researcher at the Sichuan Provincial Research Institute of Culture and History. Liu was a master of phonology, and Tao started learning from him systematic phonology and critical interpretation of ancient texts.
Today, 67-year-old Tao still recalls his bookstore days under the Fahua Pagoda: after nine o’clock in the morning, readers would come in one by one while outside the bookstore was dim sum shop and restaurants.
He remembered the smell of ink mixing with the smell of food and the sound of pupils reading their textbooks.
“It is the smell of jiangnan,” Tao says. Jiangnan, the area around the lower Yangtze River Delta, is where his hometown Jiading is.
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