Prose · LT504

Travel Writing

Reflective travelogues capturing natural geography, temples, and peaks.

99works

6dynasties

28authors

Tang

28 works

618–907

  1. Record of the Small Stone PoolLiu ZongyuanIn the pool were a hundred or so fish, all seeming to swim through empty void with nothing supporting them. Sunlight penetrates straight down casting shadows on stone, motionless one instant, then darting afar in a flash.
  2. First Excursion to the Western MountainLiu ZongyuanMy mind coagulated and physical frame dissolved, communing silently in oneness with myriad cosmic transformations. Only then did I realize I had never truly journeyed before—my true journey began with this mountain.
  3. Preface to Poems of the Foolish StreamLiu ZongyuanWater is what the wise delight in. Why then is this stream alone disgraced with the name of folly?
  4. Great Tang Records on the Western RegionsXuanzang (narrator), Bianji (writer)Seventeen years alone on the road, through more than a hundred lands: a firsthand record of seventh-century Central Asia and India.
  5. Record of Flatiron PoolLiu ZongyuanWhat makes me content to live among the tribes and forget my homeland—is it not this pool?
  6. Record of the Hillock West of Flatiron PoolLiu ZongyuanLying down with pillow and mat, the clear cool scene communed with my eyes, the gurgling sound with my ears, the vast emptiness with my spirit, and the deep stillness with my heart.
  7. Record of Yuan Family KeLiu ZongyuanWhenever the wind comes down from the hills on all sides, it shakes the great trees and bends the grasses; reds scatter and greens start, rich fragrance wafts
  8. Record of the Stone ChannelLiu ZongyuanWhen the wind sways their tops, the echoes stir the cliffs and valleys. Once the eye is at rest, the ear begins to hear far off.
  9. Record of the Stone BrookLiu ZongyuanThe water spreads evenly over it, flowing like woven patterns and sounding like a zither being played.
  10. Record of Little Stone Fort HillLiu ZongyuanI have long doubted whether a Creator exists. Seeing this, I was all the more convinced that one truly does.
  11. Record of a Pilgrimage to Tang China in Search of the LawEnnin (Jikaku Daishi)I was not troubled about returning to lay life; I worried only that the sacred teachings I had copied could not go with me.
  12. Record of Prefect Wei's New Hall at YongzhouLiu ZongyuanSeeing your work, we know your aims.
  13. Record of the Poem on the Stream Hall at YunzhouHan YuDiligence above and obedience below, so that we have come to this: is it not fine?
  14. Record on the Wall of the Assistant Magistrate's Hall at LantianHan YuAssistant, assistant! I have not failed the assistant's post; the assistant's post has failed me.
  15. Record of the Restored Pavilion of Prince TengHan YuThe Pavilion of Prince Teng stood first, renowned as magnificent and beyond compare.
  16. Record of the Pavilion of Feasting and JoyHan YuOur hills and waters are famed throughout the realm, yet none compares with Feasting and Joy.
  17. Record of the Fellow Officers of Henan PrefectureHan YuThe five lords were alike in their beginnings, and alike in rising together to greatness.
  18. Record of the East and West Water Gates of BianzhouHan YuThe Son of Heaven's might is spread by the Lord of Longxi, and his culture proclaimed by him.
  19. Record of a PaintingHan YuThirty-two kinds of human activity, a hundred and twenty-three figures, and no two the same.
  20. Written on Master Li's WallHan YuThe way he keeps a friendship, how close it is to the men of old!
  21. Record of an Outing to Yellow CreekLiu ZongyuanLike a great jar split open, its walls a thousand feet high, holding the creek's water.
  22. Record of the Ten-Thousand-Rock Pavilion at YongzhouLiu ZongyuanBecause there are so many, I name it the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Rocks.
  23. Record of the East Pavilion at LiuzhouLiu ZongyuanRight in the bustle of the town, one forgets the human world; this too is a wonder.
  24. Record of the Hills and Waters near the Liuzhou Seat Worth VisitingLiu ZongyuanClimb out through the hole above and look down on the plain, onto the backs of flying birds.
  25. Record of the Three Pavilions of LinglingLiu ZongyuanWhen the spirit is troubled, thoughts are confused; when the view is blocked, the will stalls.
  26. Record on the Wall of the Commissioner of Post StationsLiu ZongyuanThe system of lodges and post stations matters most within the thousand li of the capital.
  27. A Preface on DrinkingLiu ZongyuanSimple and in accord, free and yet respectful, cheerful and at ease.
  28. Record of Coming SouthLi AoFrom the Eastern Capital to Guangzhou by way of Qu and Xin: seven thousand six hundred li

Song

49 works

960–1279

  1. Memorial on Yueyang TowerFan ZhongyanBe the first to bear hardships for the world, and the last to partake in its joy.
  2. Record of the Old Drunkard PavilionOuyang XiuThe Old Drunkard's delight lies not in wine, but in the mountains and waters. The joy of mountain and stream is found in the heart and entrusted to wine. People know the joy of following their governor on excursions, yet know not that the governor finds his highest joy in their joy!
  3. Record of Visiting Mount BaochanWang AnshiThe wonderful, grand, strange and extraordinary sights of the world often lie in dangerous and distant places.
  4. Record of Stone Bell MountainSu ShiGreat rocks stood sideways a thousand feet high, like fierce beasts and strange ghosts, looming as if to pounce on us.
  5. Record of the Pavilion of Supreme Delight in HuangzhouSu ZheHow delightful this wind! Is it something I share with the common people?
  6. Record of the Ink PoolZeng GongXizhi's calligraphy became excellent only late in life; so his skill must have been attained by his own effort and was not a gift of Heaven.
  7. Record of Master Yan's Shrine in Tonglu CommanderyFan ZhongyanThe cloudy mountains are deep green, the river waters vast and wide; the Master's spirit is as high as the mountains and as long as the river!
  8. A Night Stroll at Chengtian TempleSu ShiThe courtyard was like a pool of still water, clear and translucent, with waterweeds crisscrossing in it: these were the shadows of the bamboo and cypress.
  9. Record of the Chief Ministers' Waiting HallWang YuchengA state's government and ten thousand lives hang on the chief minister: can he not be careful?
  10. Record of the Bamboo Tower at HuanggangWang YuchengIn summer it suits a sudden rain, which sounds like a waterfall; in winter it suits a heavy snow, which sounds like shattering jade.
  11. Record of the Charitable EstateQian GongfuAll he left his sons was the duty of helping the poor and sustaining the clan.
  12. Record of the Prefectural School of YuanzhouLi GouDie loyal as a subject, and filial as a son.
  13. Record of the Hall of Daytime Brocade at XiangzhouOuyang XiuTo rise in office to general and chief minister and return home in wealth and honour: this is what human feeling counts as glory, and it is the same now as in the past.
  14. Record of the Pavilion of Abundance and JoyOuyang XiuTo proclaim the ruler's kindness and share joy with the people is the prefect's duty.
  15. Record of the Portrait of Zhang of YizhouSu XunBefore disorder or after it, ruling is easy; the hard time is when disorder is about to begin.
  16. Record of the Pavilion of Welcome RainSu Shi If Heaven rained pearls, the cold could not make jackets of them; if Heaven rained jade, the hungry could not make grain of it.
  17. Record of the Terrace Above the VoidSu Shi No one can know how things will rise and fall, be built and be ruined.
  18. Record of the Terrace of TranscendenceSu Shi They roam within things, not outside them.
  19. Record of the Crane-Releasing PavilionSu Shi Not even a ruler on his throne could trade places with a hermit.
  20. Record of Emperor Renzong's Flying-White CalligraphyOuyang XiuJade wrapped in stone, pearls hidden in the deep: their light always shows outside.
  21. Record of the Temple of Confucius in Gucheng County, XiangzhouOuyang XiuOnly those who follow antiquity and love learning will give it their whole hearts.
  22. Record of the Youmei HallOuyang XiuQiantang holds all the beauties of the realm, and this hall holds all the beauties of Qiantang.
  23. Record of the Pavilion on Mount XianOuyang XiuHe knew that hills and valleys change, but not that stone in time wears away.
  24. Record of the Pavilion of Swimming MinnowsOuyang XiuTo see wealth and rank unmoved, and keep a boundless heart in hardship: that is true bravery.
  25. Record of the Stone of Lingxi CreekOuyang XiuWhen a rare thing lies lost in some remote place, it is a pity.
  26. Record of the East Garden at ZhenzhouOuyang XiuAll this was once grey mist, white dew and thorny brambles.
  27. Record of the Spring Water of Mount FuchaOuyang XiuMountain water is best, river water next, well water last.
  28. Record of the Pavilion in Scholar Li's East GardenOuyang XiuThe saplings have grown an armspan thick; the trees that were an armspan are stumps.
  29. Record of the Disaster at the Temple of Marquis FanOuyang XiuCould he match ten thousand men in life, yet in death not shield his own body?
  30. Record of the Pavilion of Massed GreenOuyang XiuIt stands above all the peaks and cannot be hidden.
  31. Record of the County School of YihuangZeng GongThe spread of teaching and the return of virtue are not far from people.
  32. Record of the Prefectural School of JunzhouZeng GongWhat those above love, those below will love still more.
  33. Record of the Shrine Hall of Xu RuziZeng GongWhen a great tree is about to fall, one rope cannot hold it up.
  34. Record of the Long Canal of Yicheng County in XiangzhouZeng GongMuch effort is spent and little result is won.
  35. Record of Lord Zhao's Famine Relief at YuezhouZeng GongThough his measures were in Yue, his humanity can serve as an example to the realm.
  36. Record of the Terrace That Rivals Mount XianZeng GongOne never tires of looking, and even the wise cannot exhaust its forms.
  37. Record of the Rebuilt Drum and Horn Tower of Guangde CommanderyZeng GongGrand without overstepping, fine without extravagance.
  38. Record of the Study HutZeng GongThis is what suits me.
  39. Record of the Two Halls at QizhouZeng GongQi has many sweet springs, the finest in the realm.
  40. Record of the Driftwood MountainSu XunEven among the luckiest, there are some unlucky ones.
  41. Record of an Excursion to Mount HuanSu Shi The Marshal's evil, like the stone, will not wear away.
  42. Record of the Hall of Drunken BaiSu Shi He neither prided himself on what he had nor belittled himself for what he lacked.
  43. Record of the Zhang Family Garden Pavilion at LingbiSu Shi The gentlemen of old did not insist on serving, nor insist on not serving.
  44. The Nine-Bend Pavilion at WuchangSu ZheFor the joys of the world are endless, and what pleases is whatever suits one's mind.
  45. The East StudioSu ZheToiling over salt and rice without a single day's rest.
  46. The County School of CixiWang AnshiThe world cannot go a single day without government and teaching.
  47. Names on the Wall of the Revenue Vice Commissioner's HallWang AnshiIf officials are not good, there is law but no one keeps it.
  48. The Lingzhi PavilionWang AnshiThe same fungus is prized by an emperor in one age and by a lone scholar in the next.
  49. A Trip to the North Hills of XinchengChao BuzhiNot knowing what world we had wandered into.

Ming

16 works

1368–1644

  1. Record of a Tour to ManjingYuan HongdaoOnly then did I realize that outside the suburbs spring had never been absent, though city dwellers were unaware of it. To not neglect duty through excursions, while wandering carefree among mountains, rocks, and trees—such is the joy of this humble official.
  2. Record of an Evening Tour on Six Bridges Awaiting the MoonYuan HongdaoFrom the Broken Bridge to the Su Causeway, a green mist and a red haze spread for more than twenty li.
  3. Record of a Journey to TaoyuanYuan ZhongdaoThe Three Gorges are majestic and astonishing; the Flower Spring is graceful and secluded.
  4. Record of Wushigang RidgeTan YuanchunThe stones were jet black, ancient, rugged, and precipitous. Climbing to the summit and overlooking the great river, sails and masts appeared and vanished amid misty hazes as if wandering inside a painted scroll.
  5. The Travel Diaries of Xu XiakeXu Xiake (Xu Hongzu)On the last day of the third month of the guichou year, I left Ninghai by the west gate. The clouds scattered and the sun shone bright; the mood of men and the light on the hills alike wore a look of joy.
  6. Record of the River-Viewing TowerSong LianHow could it be merely for viewing the Yangtze?
  7. Record of the Pavilion for Honouring the ClassicsWang ShourenThe Six Classics are nothing other than the constant Way of my own mind.
  8. Record of the Shrine to XiangWang ShourenThere is no one under heaven who cannot be transformed.
  9. Record of the Painting of the Wu HillsGui YouguangWhen a magistrate is truly worthy, even the hills and trees of his county share his glory.
  10. Record of the Canglang PavilionGui YouguangWhat keeps a scholar's name alive for a thousand years lies elsewhere.
  11. The Pavilion of Longing for My SonGui YouguangSurely one day I shall see my son come lightly home.
  12. The Village-View TowerGui YouguangThe feeling of trees for their waters, the reverence for the trees of home.
  13. Written on the Wall of the Wild Crane StudioGui YouguangCould its builder have known that forty years on our circle would gather here?
  14. The Weilei PavilionGui YouguangWho would ever worship me as the people of Weilei worshipped their sage?
  15. The Roll of Changxing MagistratesGui YouguangTheir records lost and scattered, they are no longer seen by later ages.
  16. The Hall of Fulfilling Early WishesGui YouguangSuch is the aspiration of the gentleman.