Experts working on old texts feted

An annual prize was recently instituted by the Song Yunbin Foundation for scholars and experts who work with ancient texts.

“It’s a job requiring attention to detail. If you are not passionate about ancient texts and ancient culture, you can’t spend long hours on them. We’re proud to reward these people,” says Ge Zhaoguang, a professor with Fudan University in Shanghai and chair of the jury panel.

This year’s winners were announced in July by the foundation, which is managed by Zhonghua Book Company, one of the country’s major publishers of ancient books.

Three books and an editor were picked for the prize, comprising 100,000 yuan ($14,600) for each winner.

“The editing of the three works spanned several decades and was done by generations of scholars,” says Ge.

The three books are Historical Records (collated version); Relics of Silk Books and Bamboo Slips in Mawangdui Han Dynasty Tombs; Annotated Corpora of Du Fu.