我一直认为方志的性质是“资料性著述”,写过一篇名为《地方志是资料性著述》(载《方志天地》1989年第4期)的文章。我虽然简洁地称地方志是“资料性著述”,但也认为,要给地方志下一个完整的科学的定义,还需要在前面加上一些限定词,来进一步说明资料性著述。在《新方志学理论的基石》(载《方志研究》1992年第5期)一文里,我把方志性质 I always thought that the nature of chih-chih chih is “informative writings,” and has written an essay entitled “Local Chronicles Is Informative” (No. 4, 1989). Although I succinctly state that local chronicles are “informative writings,” I also think that to give the next complete definition of science in local chronicles, I also need to add some qualifiers before it to further elaborate informative writings. In the book “The cornerstone of the theory of new chihrs” (contained in “Chronicles Research” No. 5, 1992), I put the nature of the chorography