After the May-Fourth movement, the assessment of Chinese classical literature became one of the main topics within the process of re-examination of China's national heritage. On the other hand, the development of literary thoughts, writers' involvement in the process of edition and publication, and the competition among publishers affected the study of classical literature. Building on the case of the book series of selected works of Huang Zhongze (1749-1783), a Qing-dynasty poet, published during the Republican era, this article aims to examine the publication background and selection criteria, which responded to the contemporary publication culture and literary thoughts as well. This review helps us to comprehend how the understanding of Huang Zhongze's poems was formed under that cultural environment. It also provides a closer look at the influence that the transformation of publication culture and the universalization of literary knowledge exerted on the conception of literary history.