Several fragmentary printed almanacs dating from the ninth century were among documents discovered in 1900 in Cave 17 at the 'Thousand Buddha' cave near Dunhuang, north-west China. One fragment, now in the British Libra inscription stating that it was printed in the East Market of the then Chinese capital (see fig. 1). Yet an official decree of 835 had stipulated that the private printing and possession of almanacs was forbidden by law. By itself, the decree, almost certainly the oldest publication ordinance in the world, suggests that almanacs were subject to strict censorship. But the discovery of the Dunhuang almanacs raises questions about how strictly the law was followed and enforced. To understand the significance of this interplay between legal theory and observance this paper will first consider the history and role of the almanac in China and previous cases of censorship, before looking at this particular case and its implications.
BT - British Library Journal IS - 1 LA - English N2 -Several fragmentary printed almanacs dating from the ninth century were among documents discovered in 1900 in Cave 17 at the 'Thousand Buddha' cave near Dunhuang, north-west China. One fragment, now in the British Libra inscription stating that it was printed in the East Market of the then Chinese capital (see fig. 1). Yet an official decree of 835 had stipulated that the private printing and possession of almanacs was forbidden by law. By itself, the decree, almost certainly the oldest publication ordinance in the world, suggests that almanacs were subject to strict censorship. But the discovery of the Dunhuang almanacs raises questions about how strictly the law was followed and enforced. To understand the significance of this interplay between legal theory and observance this paper will first consider the history and role of the almanac in China and previous cases of censorship, before looking at this particular case and its implications.
PY - 1998 SP - 4 EP - 22 T2 - British Library Journal TI - Under the Censor's Eye: Printed Almanacs and Censorship in Ninth-Century China VL - 24 ER -