救活传统雕版印刷，黄致祥的探索与实践

Huang Zhixiang, a savior of traditional woodblock printing

蜀中雕版印刷历史久远，望江楼附近出土的木刻印《陀罗尼经咒》是中国现存最早的雕版印刷品。民国时期，成都最为知名的印书局是华阳的志古堂和双流的茹古书局，这两家都与黄致祥有关。

黄致祥生于清光绪二十九年（1903），十六岁时就被送入志古堂当学徒。他聪明伶俐，肯学肯钻，逐渐学得一身雕版的技艺，同时涉猎目录学、版本学、校雠学等。志古堂老板很喜欢他这股子认真劲儿，提拔他做了经理。黄致祥在志古堂也结识了许多文化名人。

Woodblock printing in Sichuan has a long history. The block printed Mantras of the Dharani Sutra unearthed near Wangjiang Pavilion is the oldest woodblock print now extant in China. During the Republic of China period, Zhigu Press in Huayang and Rugu Publishing House in Shuangliu were the most well-known publishers in Chengdu. Both publishers were related to Huang Zhixiang.

Huang Zhixiang was born in the 29th year of Emperor Guangxu’s reign（1903）. At the age of 16, he was sent to apprentice at Zhigu Press. Smart and diligent, Huang gradually acquired a lot of woodblock printing skills. Meanwhile, he also dabbled in bibliography, bibliology and proofreading, among other areas.

Huang opened his own Rugu Publishing House in 1931. At that time, as emerging letterpress printing, lithographic printing and other techniques started to squeeze woodblock printing, many woodcut printing houses failed. Huang engaged experts to take charge of emendation, and personally supervised the printing process. The books he selected mostly involved Confucian classics, history, other schools of philosophy and lyric and prose, high-brow instead of kitsch. Rugu Publishing House also had exchanges w ith other publishers inside and outside Sichuan, adding to the volumes printed. The sheer diversity of its books was impossible for any other woodcut printing house in Chengdu to catch up. Rugu also helped celebrities sell their calligraphy works or paintings. It offered free-of-charge book borrow ing services that gave readers access to books in various libraries. In addition, it allowed readers to preview a book before purchasing. Soon, Rugu Publishing House rose tofame, becom ing the last leader of woodcut printing in Chengdu.

Huang Zhixiang is a legendary figure in woodblock printing, and in a sense, a pioneer in modern commerce.(www.xing528.com)

雕版古籍
Engraving printed ancient books

二十六岁那年，黄致祥决定自己创业。弟兄四人在母亲的支持下，抵押了祖上的田产，开始筹办“茹古书局”。1931年，书局开业。但这个时候迅速崛起的铅印、石印等开始压缩雕版印刷的空间，许多木刻印书局陆续倒闭。

刚刚创业的黄致祥便面临着巨大的挑战，但他并未就此退缩。他聘请专家负责校勘，自己亲自监刻。所选书籍大都是经学、史学、诸子和词章，格调高，不媚时俗。他注重名人书籍的刊刻，对于接受作者委托代刻也有着较为严格的筛选，以此来打响品牌。如吴虞的《爱智庐文录》，黄稚荃的《三十以前诗》和《饮虹簃词》等。

茹古书局十分注重同其他省份书局之间的联系和合作。茹古书局以本局版和四川版木刻书同上海千顷堂、南京文汇堂、杭州来熏阁、苏州振新书局、广州广雅书局、长沙思贤书局等交换，使得茹古书局的印版数量大幅增加，书品种类之丰富是成都任何一家木刻印书局难以望其项背的。

在专职印书之外，黄致祥还对书局的服务进行大改革。抗日期间，全国文化名流如柳亚子、商衍鎏、商承祚、顾颉刚、叶圣陶、马一浮等人避难成都，他借着之前在志古堂积累下的人缘，主动与他们联系，在茹古书局挂牌代售他们的书画，让茹古书局成为名人展卖的第一选择。他还免费提供代读者向图书馆借书的服务，并且茹古书局的书籍可以先看后买。

黄致祥的服务赢得了文化界人士的好感，他们也乐意给书局以支持和帮助。1936年，黄致祥被推举为成都木刻书业同业公会主席。茹古书局的地位超过同行业的任何一家，成为继周达三、樊孔周之后，成都最后的木刻印书业翘楚。黄致祥是雕版印刷界的一个传奇，某种意义上，他也是现代商业的先驱。