Hidden and Visible Realms: Early Medieval Chinese Tales of the Supernatural and the Fantastic

Published by Columbia University Press 2018

Hidden and Visible Realms

Early Medieval Chinese Tales of the Supernatural and the Fantastic

Translated by: Zhenjun Zhang

In the series Translations from the Asian Classics

https://doi.org/10.7312/liu-18716

Overview
Contents

About this book

Hidden and Visible Realms is one of the most significant medieval Chinese collections of stories of the fantastic and otherworldly phenomena, distinguished by its varied contents, elegant writing style, and Buddhist influence. This annotated first complete English translation explains the key themes and textual history of the work.

Author / Editor information

Zhang Zhenjun :

Zhenjun Zhang is associate professor of Asian Studies and Modern Languages & Literatures at St. Lawrence University. His publications include: Buddhism and Tales of the Supernatural in Early Medieval China: A Study of Liu Yiqing’s Youming lu (Brill, 2014) and Traditional Fiction and Chinese Culture (Guangxi Normal University Press, 1996).Zhenjun Zhang is associate professor of Asian studies and modern languages and literatures at St. Lawrence University. His books include Buddhism and Tales of the Supernatural in Early Medieval China: A Study of Liu Yiqing’s (403–444) Youming lu (2014).

Reviews

Daniel Hsieh, Purdue University:
This is a substantial study and translation that can serve as a model for future translations of zhiguai texts. Accurate and carefully annotated, Hidden and Visible Realms is in effect a new recension of the Youming lu. It is a valuable contribution to our growing understanding of early xiaoshuo.

Keith Knapp, The Citadel:
Hidden and Visible Realms makes a valuable contribution to the study of Chinese zhiguai “Records of the Strange” literature. For the first time, Zhang’s translation of the Youming lu gives English readers a sense of the marvelous richness of the text’s contents and its diverse themes.

Kenneth J. DeWoskin, University of Michigan:
The fields of early Chinese studies will enthusiastically welcome this excellent work by Zhenjun Zhang that combines a skillfully rendered translation of Liu Yiqing’s Youminglu with an extensive treatise, providing the most comprehensive review of the long history of zhiguai studies we have to date.

Wilt L. Idema, Harvard University:
The nearly three hundred miracle tales that survive of Liu Yiqing’s compilation offer fascinating insights into China’s society and imagination of the late third to early fifth centuries. This complete translation will be eagerly welcomed by all students and scholars of Chinese literature, religion, and thought, as it was precisely in this period that Buddhism had become part of Chinese life.

Victor H. Mair, University of Pennsylvania:
Hidden and Visible Realms is the most complete and critically annotated translation of the seminal collection of zhiguai (‘tales of anomalies’), Liu Yiqing’s Youming lu, in any language, one that will be enthusiastically welcomed by all who are interested in the history of Chinese fiction and religion.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
CONTENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Acknowledgments Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	xvii
Abbreviations Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	xix
Terms Regarding Weights And Measures Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	xxi
Chronology Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	xxiii
Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	xxv
1. The Wonder of Love Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
2. A Garden of Marvels Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	29
3. The Spectacle of Monsters Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	54
4. The Realm of Ghosts Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	80
5. The Netherworld and This World Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	113
6. Animals and Men Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	143
7. Anecdotes of Notable Figures Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	155
8. Local Legends Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	180
Appendix Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	191
Tales Appearing in Other Renditions Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	201
Works Cited Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	203
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	211

Language: English
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Illustrations
- Other: no art

eBook

Published: September 24, 2018
ISBN: 9780231547055