Stories Old and New

A Ming Dynasty Collection

Shuhui Yang, Yunqin Yang, Shuhui Yang, Yunqin Yang

• Publisher: University of Washington Press
• Year: 2011
• eBook ISBN: 9780295801285
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Asian Literary Collections
• Index: Social Sciences

Stories Old and New is the first complete translation of Feng Menglong's Gujin xiaoshuo (also known as Yushi mingyan, Illustrious Words to Instruct the World), a collection of 40 short stories first published in 1620 in China. This is considered the best of Feng's three such collections and was a pivotal work in the development of vernacular fiction. The stories are valuable as examples of early fiction and for their detailed depiction of daily life among a broad range of social classes. The stories are populated by scholars and courtesans, spirits and ghosts, Buddhist monks and nuns, pirates and emperors, and officials both virtuous and corrupt. The streets and abodes of late-Ming China come alive in Shuhui Yang and Yunqin Yang's smooth and colorful translation of these entertaining tales. Stories Old and New has long been popular in China and has been published there in numerous editions. Although some of the stories have appeared in English translations in journals and anthologies, they have not previously been presented sequentially in thematic pairs as arranged by Feng Menglong. This unabridged translation, illustrated with a selection of woodcuts from the original Ming dynasty edition and including Feng's interlinear notes and marginal comments, as well as all of the verse woven throughout the text, allows the modern reader to experience the text as did its first audience nearly four centuries ago. For other titles in the collection go to http://www.washington.edu/uwpress/books/ming.html

Table of contents

• Stories Old and New: A Ming Dynasty Collection
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• List of Illustrations
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Translators’ Note
• Chronology of Chinese Dynasties
• Stories Old and New
• Title Page from the 1620 Edition
• Preface to the 1620 Edition
• 1. Jiang Xingge Reencounters His Pearl Shirt
• 2. Censor Chen Ingeniously Solves the Case of the Gold Hairpins and Brooches
• 3. Han the Fifth Sells Her Charms in New Bridge Town
• 4. Ruan San Redeems His Debt in Leisurely Clouds Nunnery
• 5. Penniless Ma Zhou Meets His Opportunity through a Woman Selling Pancakes
• 6. Lord Ge Gives Away Pearl Maiden
• 7. Yang Jiao’ai Lays Down His Life for the Sake of Friendship
• 8. Wu Bao’an Abandons His Family to Ransom His Friend
• 9. Duke Pei of Jin Returns a Concubine to Her Rightful Husband
• 10. Magistrate Teng Settles the Case of Inheritance with Ghostly Cleverness
• 11. Zhao Bosheng Meets with Emperor Renzong in a Teahouse
• 12. The Courtesans Mourn Liu the Seventh in the Spring Breeze
• 13. Zhang Daoling Tests Zhao Sheng Seven Times
• 14. Chen Xiyi Rejects Four Appointments from the Imperial Court
• 15. The Dragon-and-Tiger Reunion of Shi Hongzhao the Minister and His Friend the King
• 16. The Chicken-and-Millet Dinner for Fan Juqing, Friend in Life and Death
• 17. Shan Fulang’s Happy Marriage in Quanzhou
• 18. Yang Balao’s Extraordinary Family Reunion in the Land of Yue
• 19. Yang Qianzhi Meets a Monk Knight-Errant on a Journey by Boat
• 20. Chen Congshan Loses His Wife on Mei Ridge
• 21. Qian Poliu Begins His Career in Lin’an
• 22. Zheng Huchen Seeks Revenge in Mumian Temple
• 23. Zhang Shunmei Finds a Fair Lady during the Lantern Festival
• 24. Yang Siwen Meets an Old Acquaintance in Yanshan
• 25. Yan Pingzhong Kills Three Men with Two Peaches
• 26. Shen Xiu Causes Seven Deaths with One Bird
• 27. Jin Yunu Beats the Heartless Man
• 28. Li Xiuqing Marries the Virgin Huang with Honor
• 29. Monk Moon Bright Redeems Willow Green
• 30. Abbot Mingwu Redeems Abbot Wujie
• 31. Sima Mao Disrupts Order in the Underworld and Sits in Judgment
• 32. Humu Di Intones Poems and Visits the Netherworld
• 33. Old Man Zhang Grows Melons and Marries Wennü
• 34. Mr. Li Saves a Snake and Wins Chenxin
• 35. The Monk with a Note Cleverly Tricks Huangfu’s Wife
• 36. Song the Fourth Greatly Torments Tightwad Zhang
• 37. Emperor Wudi of the Liang Dynasty Goes to the Land of Extreme Bliss through Ceaseless Cultivation
• 38. Ren the Filial Son with a Fiery Disposition Becomes a God
• 39. Wang Xinzhi Dies to Save the Entire Family
• 40. Shen Xiaoxia Encounters the Expedition Memorials
• Notes
• Bibliography