Manuscripts, Texts and Geographical Writings: A Study of Dunhuang Manuscript P.2005

Abstract

This dissertation deals with Tang (618-907 A.D.) Dunhuang manuscripts, with a specific focus on the manuscript numbered P.2005 (Shāzhōu tújīng 沙州圖經) and its related historical-geographical materials. P.2005 is studied as an exemplary case of Chinese mediaeval manuscripts, especially the historical and social environment in which the manuscript was produced, circulated and eventually stored in the Dunhuang cave. Besides the textual content, the study also pays attention to the physical appearances of the manuscripts, by conducting codicological and paleographical examinations, so that the life cycle of manuscripts in the age before the invention of printing can be better understood. The relationships between P.2005 and its related manuscripts are also explored through comparative study of both their content and physical appearance.