[My-hm] Chen Qiguang manuscripts and field notes sold online

[Andrew Hsiu]

Dear Hmong-Mien linguistics community,

Dozens of handwritten manuscripts (papers, field notes, etc.), mostly
of Hmong-Mien languages, by Chen Qiguang (陈其光) are currently up for
sale on Kongfz.com, China's largest online platform for selling used
books. Chen Qiguang is a prolific Chinese scholar who wrote Miao-Yao
Yuwen, the big 2013 Hmong-Mien handbook. Most of them are being sold
by a book dealer located in Jiangsu, China, while various others are
being held by book dealers scattered all over China. See:

https://shop.kongfz.com/327140/search/?key=%E9%99%88%E5%85%B6%E5%85%89&_stpmt=eyJzZWFyY2hfdHlwZSI6ImFjdGl2ZSJ9&pagenum=1


I'm especially interested in Chen's field notes, which contain word
lists and grammar notes. This requires a significant budget, so would
anyone have any ideas about (crowd-)funding, archiving, and so on? For
example, it would cost maybe $2,000 USD to collect over a dozen of his
handwritten field note volumes.

Languages include Xijia, "White Miao of Rongshui" (i.e., Southern
Hmu), "Luodian Miao" (a dialect of Pingtang Miao), Jinxiu Yao
varieties (Kim Mun varieties that Theraphan L.-Thongkum has worked
on), and some other intriguing Hmong-Mien languages that are not well
documented. There are a few Kra languages too, including a lexicon of
Sanchong Gelao and grammar of Wozi [Puding] Gelao.


All the best,
Andy Hsiu