What is the largest encyclopedia in ancient China?

The largest encyclopedia in ancient China was Yongle Dadian. Yongle Dadian was compiled by Jie Jin, a gifted scholar in the Ming Dynasty, and preserved seven or eight thousand kinds of ancient books from pre-Qin to early Ming Dynasty in China. The book of Yongle Dadian can be traced back to 600 years ago. 1403, Judy, the founder of Ming Dynasty, ordered Jie Jin, one of the three great talents of Ming Dynasty, to compile a voluminous book.

Jie Jin finished the task quickly. In the second year of Yongle (1404), the first draft was presented to the emperor in November, and it was named "Literary Masterpiece". However, Emperor Yongle didn't buy it. In the third year of Yongle (1405), he ordered the reconstruction. Under this "cultural mobilization", more than 2,000 people from the government and the opposition continued to compile books. In the fifth year of Yongle (1407), the second draft was completed. This time, Emperor Yongle was very satisfied and gave him the name Yongle Grand Ceremony.

Extended data:

In the sixth year of Yongle (1408), The Grand Ceremony of Yongle was copied, and it was an original work, which was kept in Nanjing Wen Yuan Pavilion. Because of its huge volume, Emperor Yongle didn't read it several times after writing it. After that, hongzhi emperor and Emperor Jiajing loved it very much, especially Emperor Jiajing, who kept one or two volumes at hand and became a "desk book".

In the thirty-sixth year of Jiajing (1557), a fire broke out in the palace, which reminded Emperor Jiajing. He ordered the minister to write a "Yongle Grand Ceremony", "re-record a copy and save it elsewhere for safety."

People's Daily Online-Where is the 600-year-old Yongle Grand Ceremony?