It is found that following ten characteristics in its publication processes and its patrons who supported the publication activities of the Chi-sha edition, i. e., printed Buddhist tripitaka canon of the Yen-siên monastery at Chi-sha in P'ing-chiang-fu (_??__??__??__??__??__??__??__??__??__??__??__??_), by deciphement of about 500 post-colophons, placed at the end pages of almost every books in the canon collection.
(1) The first publication activity was initiated at 1216 A. D., by a monk, Liao-ch'in (_??__??_), without any relationship of the monastery.
(2) His personal activity was suceeded by a wealthy country gentleman, Chao-an-kuo (_??__??__??_), lived in the Soochaw District (_??__??_): Chao successed in the publication of a giantic lot of 600 volumes, Maha-prajnaparamita-sutra (_??__??__??__??_), at his own expenses.
(3) During the publication process of this sutra, the initiative and the management of the activities were consigned into hands of the monks of the Yen-siên monastery: Developing activity was supported by mean and personal donations from many rural inhabitants of various society and monks and nurses of smaller monasteries located in the Soochow District and the surrounding districts.
(4) In the transitional term, from the Sung dynasy (_??_) to the Yüan dynasty (_??_), the publication activities were completely interruped for about 15 years, in the reason of social and economic confusions caused by Yüan's minitary occupation over the southern districts of China.
(5) The publication activities in the Yuan period were admininistered under newly organized Tripitaka Printing Bureau (_??__??__??__??_) at the monastery: In contrast with the Sung period, big amount of donations from high officials and their families, monk-officials of state governments, director-monks of large temples and monks in the Yen-siêng monastery, themelves, were evidently effective for procecution of the publication activities, and they were evidently developed.
(6) Among them, donations of considerable amount made by a high official, Chu-ch'ing (_??__??_), his family and his relatives in 1301 A. D. and effort for publication of the supplement books, consisted a lot of exostic sutras made by a monk-official, Kuan-chupa (_??__??__??_) in 1306 A. D. were especially remarkable.
(7) By this kuan's supplement, the Chi-sha edition had been added new factors drived from the Northan tripitaka editions, onto its original properties of the Southan tripitaka.
(8) In 1315 A. D., big donation by Ming-Liao of Yuan-T'ung Temple (_??__??__??__??__??_) caused large publication for re-supplement, which mainly of Zen sect books, including Tsong-king-lou (_??__??__??_).
(9) It seems that the publication activities were to be finalized when the publication of Mahaparinirvana-sutra or Ta-pan-nie-p'an-king (The southern version, _??__??__??__??__??__??__??_) was done in 1322 A. D., namely, the publication activities for the Chi-sha edition were countinued during over one century, thru the Sung to the Yüan.
(10) Several series of supplements for the edition had been addeded before the finalization, aforesaid, so that, the Chi-sha edition had been developed to Fan-Han (_??__??_, No. 591) as a whole.
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