代写CHNs 3646
Department of Chinese Studies, University of Sydney
CHNs 3646: Classical Chinese Fiction
Dr ZHAO Xiaohuan
Handout 6 for Lecture on the Taiping guangji 太平廣記 (1):
Textual Background, History and Current edition 
(Xiaohuan Zhao, 2009: 1-14)
 
I.     The Taiping guangji 太平廣記 (Extensive Records of the Era of Supreme Peace, hereafter TPGJ): basics
·      The largest xiaoshuo anthology ever seen in Imperial China with approximately 7,000 items in 500 juan 卷 (scroll)
·      Compiled under the supervision of Li Fang 李昉 (925-996) during the era of Taiping xingguo 太平興國 (976-983)
·      Approximately 480 ancient books cited in TPGJ
 
II.  Social-cultural background
2.1.       Reunion in 960 after the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (907-960)
2.2.       “Chinese Renaissance” (Jacques Gernet, 1999: 297-298)
2.3.       Notable achievements in science, culture and literature

• The rise of ci 詞 poetry and huaben 話本 (prompt-book) fiction
• The (continuation of) Ancient-style Prose Movement
• The restoration, establishment and expansion of imperial libraries and institutes of learning
• The advancement in (wood-block and movable-type) printing technology
• The large-scale compilation of leishu 類書 (category book) as represented by “the Four Great Books of the Song,” namely, TPGJ, the Taiping yulan 太平御覽, the Wenyuan yinghua 文苑英華, and the Cefu yuangui 冊府元龜

 代写CHNs 3646
III. Textual History of TPGJ
3.1. Records in Song bibliographical books

• As leishuo in the Chongwen zongmu 崇文總目 by Wang Yaochen 王堯臣 (1002-1058).
• As xiaoshuo work in Chao Gongwu’s 晁公武 (1105-1180) Junzhai dushi zhi 郡齋讀書志 and Chen Zhensun’s 陳振孫 (c.a.1183 - c.a.1262) Zhizhai shulu jieti 直齋書錄解題

3.2. Current editions of TPGJ

• No Song wood-block printed copies survive to date
• Approximately 10 Ming-Qing texts available
• The most authentic text: the 1566 woodblock edition known as the Tan keben 談刻本 by the Ming bibliophile Tan Kai 談愷 (1503-1568)

 
 代写CHNs 3646