What is Yongle Encyclopedia?
[[Image:Yongle Dadian Encyclopedia 1403.jpg|thumb|''Yongle Encyclopedia'' (1403)]] The '''''Yongle Encyclopedia''''' was a Chinese compilation of information. It was ordered by the [[Ming Dynasty]] emperor [[Yongle Emperor|Yongle]] in 1403, and completed by 1408. It was the world's largest known general encyclopedia at its time, and held this record for six centuries.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica |title=Encyclopedias and dictionaries |edition=15th |year=2007 |volume=18|page=257 }}</ref> In the [[Chinese language|Chinese]] language it is: {{zh|t=永樂大典|s=永乐大典|p=Yǒnglè Dàdiǎn}}. This means ''The Great Canon or Vast Documents of the [[Yongle Era]]''. == References == {{reflist}} {{stub}} [[Category:Encyclopedias]] [[Category:Chinese culture]] [[Category:15th-century books]]