Yongle Da Dian

The Yongle Encyclopedia or Yongle Dadian (simplified Chinese: 永乐大典; traditional Chinese: 永樂大典; pinyin: Yǒnglè Dàdiǎn; Wade–Giles: Yung-lo Ta-tien; literally: "Great Canon of Yongle") is a partially lost Chinese leishu encyclopedia commissioned by the Yongle Emperor of the Ming dynasty in 1403 and completed by 1408. Its sheer scope and size made it the world's largest paper-based general encyclopedia.

Although known for his military achievements, the Yongle Emperor was also an intellectual who enjoyed reading. His love for research led him to develop the idea of categorizing literary works into a reference encyclopedia, in order to preserve rare books and simplify research. Instrumental to this undertaking was Empreror Yongle’s own transformation of the Hanlin Academy. Prior to his reign, the Hanlin Academy was responsible for various clerical tasks, such as drafting proclamations and edicts. Emperor Yongle, decided to elevate the status of the Hanlin Academy, and began selecting only the highest ranking recruits for the academy. Clerical duties were relegated to the Imperial officers, while the Hanlin Academy, now full of elite scholars, began working on literary projects for the Emperor.

The Yongle Dadian was commissioned by the Yongle Emperor (r. 1402–24) and completed in 1408.

In 1404, a year after the work was commissioned, a team of 100 scholars, mostly from the Hanlin Academy, completed a manuscript called A Complete Work of Literature.Emperor Yongle rejected this work and insisted on adding other volumes. In 1405, under Emperor Yongle’s command, the number of scholars rose to 2,169. Scholars were sent all over China to find books and expand the encyclopedia. In addition, Emperor Yongle assigned his personal advisor, Dao Yan, a monk, and Liu Jichi, the deputy minister of punishment, as co-editors of the encyclopedia, supporting Yao Guanxiao. The scholars spent four years compiling the leishu encyclopedia, under the leadership of general editor Yao Guangxiao (姚廣孝).

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