A diary of momentous events
The 20 volumes of Tan Yankai's diaries made their debut at Shanghai Library on Thursday.
The diaries of Tan Yankai (1880-1930), a famous Chinese politician, calligrapher and gourmet, have been published by Zhonghua Book Company and made their debut at Shanghai Library on Thursday.
The diaries, in 20 volumes, cover many historical events from the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) to the early days of the Republic of China (1912-49).
Tan witnessed and participated in many important events during the period.
He was a member of Liang Qichao's Constitutionalist Party and campaigned for a parliament and restrained monarchy. He remained a major leader of the party when it was renamed as the Progressive Party after the 1911 Revolution. But later he left and joined the Kuomintang and became military governor of his home province of Hunan.
He later served as chairman of the national government in Nanjing. After he was succeeded by Chiang Kai-shek, he became premier, a post he would hold until he died.
Tan began his diaries on September 11, 1895 and had produced 66 volumes by September 20,1930, two days before his death.
They cover many revolutionary and historical events and the revolutionaries and political celebrities of the time. He tells of the railway movements in the late Qing Dynasty, the 1911 Revolution that overthrew the monarch, Yuan Shikai's becoming the first president of the Republic of China and the Northern Expedition.
He also wrote about his connections with many celebrated figures, such as famous revolutionist Sun Yat-sen and Communist leader Qu Qiubai.
In addition to being a politician, Tan was also known as one of the four most famous calligraphers in the Republic of China. His diaries record his connection with other calligraphers, and his writing itself features the style of famed ancient Chinese calligrapher Yan Zhenqing.
As a gastronome who created his own Tan's dish, which helped build the fame of Hunan cuisine, he also recorded the cuisines of many other parts of China.
The original handwritten diaries had been kept by his family in Taiwan and were deposited at Shanghai Library by his grandson-in-law Yu Chuan-Tao in 2016.
The local library made seven boxes out of nanmu, a wood that is moisture and moth-proof, to protect the historical texts.
To better preserve the diaries, Tan's family members decided to authorize their publication.
Gu Qing, chief editor of the published diaries, said: "Diaries are precious first-hand historical materials. But those written in the Republic of China are rarely seen because they are not as valuable as antiques in the market while some families are reluctant to open private diaries to the public.”
Officials from Shanghai Library and the Zhonghua Book Company join Tan Yankai's grandchildren to unveil the printed version of his diaries.
