On the Content and Value of the "Treatise on Customs" in the Imperially Commissioned Comprehensive Gazetteer of Shengjing from the Forty-Ninth Year of the Qianlong Reign

Abstract

The treatise on customs constitutes a crucial component of local gazetteers. Through the Comprehensive Gazetteer of Shengjing, the first officially compiled local gazetteer of the Northeast region during the Qing dynasty, one can gain insight into the evolution of Manchu customs before and after their entry into the Central Plains, as well as the changes in the customs of ethnic minorities in the Northeast. This gazetteer holds significant value in philology, folklore, and historiography for exploring the customs and history of ethnic minorities in the Northeast region.