Hidden and Visible Realms
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85. The seat of Changsha Commandery was at modern Changsha city, Hunan. See Tan Qixiang 譚其驤, Zhongguo lishi dituji 中國歷史地圖集, 4. 26.
86. This is based on the traditional Chinese method of counting years or sui 歲. He was nine years old based on the modern Western standard.
87. The seat of Linchuan Commandery was Linru 臨如, west of modern Linchuan County, Jiangxi. See Tan Qixiang, Zhongguo lishi dituji, 4. 25–26.
88. See Song shu, 51. 1474.
89. Song shu, 36. 1072. The region under the jurisdiction of Shouyang is not clear. Zang Lihe 臧勵龢 says that the prefecture was established in the Southern Qi 齊 dynasty, and it was in modern Sichuan; see his Diming dacidian 地名大辭典, 1085.
90. See Shen Yue, Song shu, 51. 1475.
91. Shen Yue, Song shu, 51. 1476.
92. Shen Yue, Song shu, 51. 1480.
93. Shen Yue, Song shu, 51. 1477.
94. Shen Yue, Song shu, 51. 1475–80.
95. Shen Yue, Song shu, 51. 1477.
96. Shen Yue, Song shu, 51. 1477.
97. Shen Yue, Song shu, 51. 1475–80.
98. See Wei Zheng, et al., Sui shu, 33.980; Liu Xu, Jiu Tang shu, 46.2005; and Ouyang Xiu and Song Qi, Xin Tang shu, 59.1540. Though there has been debate concerning the authorship of some of these works, such as Shishuo, Youming lu, and Xiaoshuo, by and large, scholars accept their attribution to Liu Yiqing. The Xiaoshuo listed here is, however, tricky, because there is also a work by the same title by Yin Yun 殷芸 (471–529). Since almost all the other bibliographies attribute Xiaoshuo to Yin Yun, this caused confusion. Xiao Hong, for example, considers the record of Liu Yiqing’s Xiaoshuo in Sui shu to be a mistake. Actually, it seems there are two collections with the same title. For this reason, commentators refer to Liu’s collection as the “Xiaoshuo of Mr. Liu” 劉氏小説, so as to distinguish it from Yin Yun’s Xiaoshuo.
99. In Li Fang et al., ed., Taiping yulan, 703. 3267b.
100. Yan Kejun, ed., Quan shanggu sandai Qin Han sanguo liuchao wen 全上古三代秦漢三國六朝文, 3. 2496–97.
101. See Lu Qinli 逯欽立, ed., Xian Qin Han Wei Jin Nanbeichao shi 先秦漢魏晉南北朝詩, 2. 1202.
102. Lu Xun, Guxiaoshuo gouchen, 547–60. An account of this book can be found in Gjertson’s Miraculous Retribution, 20–22.
103. See Fan Ziye 范子燁, Shishuo xinyu yanjiu 世說新語研究, 122–206. Modern translations of Shishuo xinyu include: Bruno Belpaire, Anthologie chinoise des 5e et 6e siecles; Mather, A New Account of Tales of the World; and Makoto Mekada 目加田誠, Sesetsu shingo, 3 v..
104. Wei Zheng, et al., Sui shu, 33. 980.
105. Liu Xu, Jiu Tang shu, 46. 2005; Ouyang Xiu and Song Qi, Xin Tang shu, 59. 1540.
106. For detailed information on the selections and recompilations of the Youming lu, see Zhenjun Zhang, “A Textual History of Liu Yiqing’s You Ming Lu,”: 87–101; see also Buddhism and Tales of the Supernatural in Early Medieval China, 44–60.
107. Zeng Zao, Lei shuo, 11.189ab. On the textual history of Lei shuo, cf. Dudbridge, The Tale of Li Wa, 7–10.
108. Shuo fu (in 100 juan; Shanghai: Shangwu, 1927), 3.6b (rpt., Taibei : Xinxing, 1963, 50a).
109. (Chongjiao) Shuo fu (in 120 juan; Siku quanshu edition): 117A.12a–15a.
110. See Ouyang Xiu, ed., Yiwen leiju, 84.1438, and Li Fang et al., eds., Taiping guangji, 276.2174.
111. Wuchao xiaoshuo daguan, 1. 107–9.
112. Wu Zengqi, Jiu xiaoshuo, Collection A2.155a–161a.
113. Wu Zengqi, Jiu xiaoshuo, Collection A2. 155a–61a.
114. The source of the first tale is unknown; the second tale in Wu Shu’s (947–1002) annotations to his Shilei fu [Rhapsody of classified matters], 7.144, is cited from Yi zhi [Records of the strange]. This may explain why Lu Xun did not include them in his edition of Youming lu.
115. Guxiaoshuo gouchen, 351–436.
116. Cf. Lu Xun’s preface with annotations in Gujixuba ji, 3–5.
117. Wang Guoliang, “Youming lu chutan,” 171, note 3, says that it includes all of the 158 tales from the Linlang mishi version. However, the two tales already mentioned were rejected by Lu Xun.
118. “Mu ke” 木客, Chen Menglei 陳孟雷 (b. 1651–1752) et al., eds., Gujin tushu jicheng, 514. 37a. Li Jianguo noticed this tale many years ago. See his Tang qian zhiguai xiaoshuo shi, 357.
119. Maeno Naoaki, Chūgoku shosetsu shi ko, 197–211.
120. Chen Guishi 陳桂市 has listed some of them in his unpublished M.A. paper. Chen listed those tales to which Lu Xun failed to give a source, but actually they can be found in extant collectanea such as Taiping guangji and Taiping yulan. Chen also pointed out some mistakes in sources and errors in volumes of books cited in Guxiaoshuo gouchen. See Chen Guishi, “Youming lu Xuanyan ji yanjiu” 幽明錄、宣驗記研究, 37–43.
121. Zheng Wanqing, Youming lu.
1
THE WONDER OF LOVE
1. LIU CHEN AND RUAN ZHAO1
In the fifth year of the Yongping reign period (58–75) under Emperor Ming of the [Eastern] Han Dynasty (25–220), Liu Chen and Ruan Zhao, natives of Shan County,2 went together to Mount Tiantai to gather paper mulberry bark;3 there they got lost and could not return home. After thirteen days, they had exhausted all of their provisions and were starved almost to death.
From a distance they saw a peach tree bearing much fruit on top of the mountain, but the cliffs were steep, the stream deep, and they could not find a path leading up to the top. They climbed by grabbing the kudzu vines, and thus they were eventually able to get to the top. After they each ate several peaches, their hunger ceased and their bodies were filled with energy.
They went back down the mountain and scooped up water with cups, intending to wash their faces and rinse their mouths, when they saw some turnip leaves, which were extremely fresh, being swept downstream from the mountain’s interior. Then a cup that contained sesame seeds mixed with yellow millet drifted down as well.
“Judging from this, we know someone’s residence is not far from here!” Liu and Ruan said to each other. So they dove together into the water, swam upstream two or three li, and were able to cross the mountain before climbing out of the large stream.
By the stream were two girls of wonderful natural endowment and matchless beauty. Upon seeing the two men wade ashore with the cup in hand, they smiled and exclaimed, “Mr. Liu and Mr. Ruan caught the cup that we set adrift!”
Liu Chen and Ruan Zhao did not know them, yet the two girls called them by their surnames, as if they were all old friends. Thus they were delighted to see one another.4
“Why do you come so late?” the two girls asked. Then they invited the two men into their home.
Their house had a roof of bronze tiles.5 By the south and the east walls stood two large beds, both draped with crimson silk curtains. On each upper corner of the curtains, bells in gold or silver hung. By the head of each bed, ten servant maidens stood.
An order [from the two girls] was passed down [to the maids], saying: “Mr. Liu and Mr. Ruan have just scaled mountains and valleys. Although they have just eaten the carnelian fruits, they are still weak and tired. Hurry up and cook something for them!”
The foods they cooked were millet with sesame seeds, dried goat meat, and beef; all were delicious. When Liu and Ruan were finished eating, wine was laid out, and a crowd of girls approached. Each of them held three or five peaches in their hands, smiling and saying to the two girls, “Congratulations on the arrival of your bridegrooms!”
Music was played while they drank to their hearts’ content. Liu and Ruan were filled with both happiness and apprehension. Once it was dark, each of them was ordered to sleep on one of the curtained beds, and the two girls went to
sleep together with them for the night. The voices of the girls were gentle and sweet, making both men forget their worries.
Ten days later, Liu and Ruan intended to go home and made a request to do so. The two girls said, “You’ve already come here, and it was your fated fortune that led you here. Why do you still want to return?” Thus they remained there for half a year. When the climate, grass, and trees all indicated that it was the spring season, hundreds of birds were chirping and singing. This made the two men harbor even more sadness, and they earnestly pleaded to return. The girls replied, “If you are still tied to sinful, worldly cravings, then what can we do!” Consequently, they summoned thirty or forty girls, who had showed up previously, to gather and play music. Then all of them escorted Liu and Ruan together, showing them the way to return home.
By the time they came out of the mountain, their relatives and old friends had all passed away, the town and their residences had been changed, and there was no one left who knew them. Making inquiries, they found their seventh-generation grandsons, who had heard that their ancestors once entered the mountain and were lost, unable to return. During the eighth year of the Taiyuan reign (383) of the Jin dynasty (265–436), Liu and Ruan suddenly left again, and nobody knew where they had gone.
(GXSGC, #38. 361–62; FYZL, 31. 967–68; TPYL, 41. 194b–95a)
2. THE GIRL WHO SOLD FACE POWDER6
There was once a very rich family that had only a single son. The parents doted on the boy and were excessively indulgent with him. Once when the boy was wandering in the market, he saw a beautiful young girl selling face powder. He fell in love with her but found no means to express his feelings. Pretending to buy face powder, he went to the market every day. Upon purchasing the powder, he would leave without a single word.
Gradually, the girl became deeply suspicious. The next day, when the boy came again, she asked, “After buying this powder, what are you going to do with it?”
The boy replied, “I love you, and I didn’t dare tell you. Yet I always desire to see you. By buying this powder, I am able to view your lovely face. That is all.”
The girl became upset, yet was deeply touched as well, so she promised him a private meeting. The time was set for the following evening.
That evening, the boy was quietly lying in his room, waiting for the girl’s arrival. Once it was dark, the girl arrived as expected. The boy was extremely overjoyed. He held the arms of the girl and cried, “My long-cherished wish will now be fulfilled!” He jumped in excitement—and thereupon died.
The girl was seized with anxiety and fear, not knowing what to do. Consequently she fled, returning to the powder store the next morning.
At breakfast time, the parents of the boy were surprised that he had not yet gotten up. When they went to look at him, they found that he was dead. As his corpse was about to be put into a coffin and brought to the graveyard, they opened his bamboo suitcase and found more than one hundred packets of face powder in different sizes, all piled together.
The mother of the boy exclaimed, “It must be this face powder that killed my son!” Then they went to the market and purchased face powder everywhere they found it.
Upon reaching the girl, by comparison they found that her method of tamping the powder into packets matched what they had seen previously at home.7 Thus they seized the girl, demanding, “Why did you kill our son?”
Hearing this, the girl sobbed, and told them the whole truth. The parents didn’t believe her, so they brought a lawsuit against her to the court. The girl said, “Why should I still care if I go on living! I beg to see the corpse once more, to mourn for him.” The magistrate granted permission for her request.
She went directly to the boy’s home. Embracing the corpse with her arms, she wailed, “I’m so unlucky that things happened like this! If after death your soul is still present, what regret could I possibly have!?”
Suddenly, the boy was revived. The girl told him everything that had happened; they subsequently became husband and wife, and their sons and grandsons proved very prosperous.
(GXSGC, #203. 410; TPGJ, 274. 2157)
3. PANG E AND HIS INFATUATED LOVER8
In Julu Commandery,9 there was a man by the name of Pang E who was handsome and carried himself well. The Shi family of that same commandery had a daughter who took a liking to him after she chanced to see him from the inner quarters of her house. Not long thereafter, Pang E saw this girl coming to pay him a visit.
Pang E’s wife was a very jealous woman, and when she heard this, she ordered her maidservant to tie up the girl and send her back to the Shi family. However, when they were halfway there, the girl transformed herself into a wisp of smoke and disappeared.
Thereupon the maidservant went straight to see the Shi family and told them about this. The father was shocked and said, “My daughter has never even stepped outside this house. How can you spread such slander as this?”
From then on Pang E’s wife took even more care to keep an eye on him. One night she came across this girl again in the study, whereupon she herself tied her up and took her back to the Shi family.
When the father saw her he stared dumbfoundedly and said, “I just came from inside and saw the girl working with her mother. How could she be here?” He then ordered a maidservant to call the girl to come out. As soon as the girl came out, the one who had been tied up previously vanished like smoke.
The father suspected that there must be an abnormal reason for this, so he sent the mother to ask the girl about it. The girl said, “Last year I once stole a glance at Pang E when he came to our house, and ever since then I have felt confused. Once I dreamed that I went to visit Pang E, and when I reached the entrance to his house, I was tied up by his wife.”
Mr. Shi said, “How could it be that there are truly such strange matters as this in the world! Indeed, whenever one’s sincerest feelings are affected, the spirit will manifest itself in mysterious ways. Thus the one who disappeared must have been her hun soul.”
After this, the girl made a vow that she would never marry. Some years later, Pang E’s wife suddenly contracted a terrible illness, and neither doctors nor medicines were able to save her life. Only then did Pang E send betrothal gifts to the girl and make her his wife.
(GXSGC, #222. 417; TPGJ, 358. 2830)
4. DREAM ADVENTURE INSIDE A CYPRESS PILLOW10
The curator of the temple at Lake Jiao owned a cypress pillow for more than thirty years.11 In the back of the pillow there was a small crack. While traveling on business, a man of the county named Tang Lin passed by the temple to pray for good fortune. The curator said to him, “You are not married, right? Then you may place your head on the pillow, near the crack.”
The curator asked Lin to enter the crack. [Once inside] Lin saw a vermilion gate, through which appeared jade palaces and gemmed terraces, all surpassing any in this world. He met Grand Marshal Zhao, who arranged a marriage for him. Lin begot six children, four boys and two girls. He was appointed the Assistant of the Imperial Library, and not long after promoted to the position of Gentleman of the Palace Gate.
Inside the pillow, Lin had never thought of returning home; yet consequently he got into trouble because of his transgression and disobedience.
The curator asked Lin to come out, and [once he did] he saw the pillow he had seen previously. Lin said that he had spent several years inside the pillow, but in fact it was only a short while.12
(GXSGC, #251. 428–29; BTSC, 134. 233b)
5. THE GOD OF RIVERS MARRYING OFF HIS DAUGHTER13
In the [Liu] Song reign period (420–479), Shangxiang Lake was to the south of Yuhang County.14 In the middle of the lake a dyke was built. Once, a man riding a horse and leading three or four attendants went to watch a play, then drank wine in Chen Village. Being somewhat drunk, they went back home. It was very hot, so the man dismounted from his horse, entered the water, and slept by pillowing his head on a piece of stone. His horse then broke its bridle and ran back home. His
attendants all ran after the horse, and as it grew dark they still had not come back.
When the man awoke, it was about sunset. He could not find his horse and attendants, but he saw a girl around sixteen or seventeen arrive, who said, “This girl bows to you again! It is about sunset and this place is going to be truly terrifying. What are you going to do here?”
“May I ask your surname?” the man asked back. “Why do you suddenly greet me here?” Then he saw a teenager around the age of thirteen or fourteen, who appeared extremely intelligent, arriving in a new carriage followed by approximately twenty people. The teenager summoned the man to ascend into the carriage, saying, “My father wants to see you for a moment.”
So they turned the carriage around and left. On the way, they saw torches continuously. Soon they saw city walls, towns, and residences. As soon as they finally arrived, they entered the town and walked into the hall of an official residence with a banner hanging above with an official title on it,15 which read, “God of Rivers.”
After a short while, he saw an officer around thirty years old who looked like a painting, with numerous attendants and guards. Happily they sat face to face and the officer ordered wine to be set out and meat roasted, saying, “I have a daughter who is fairly smart.16 I intend to let her serve you with a broom and a dustpan.”17
Knowing that this officer was a god, the man dared not refuse and go against his will. Then an order from the god was sent down: to prepare everything and everyone to be ready for the wedding of the Gentleman of the Interior. The reply was that everything was ready. The bridegroom was sent a single-layer silk garment, a double-layer garment, a fine silk skirt, a gauze shirt, a pair of pants, a pair of shoes, and a pair of slippers; all of them were fine and nice. In addition, he was sent ten young attendants and several dozen maids. The girl was about eighteen or nineteen, and she was gentle and beautiful. Then they finished the wedding.