Classical Prose · LT506

Informal Essays

Intimate, witty vignettes capturing the charm of daily aesthetics and memory.

7works

2dynasties

4authors

Ming

1368–16446 works
  1. Record of the Xiangji StudioGui YouguangIn the courtyard stands a loquat tree, planted by my late wife's hand in the year of her death; today it has grown tall and graceful, spreading like a lush canopy.
  2. Discourse on the Summer InsectZhong XingThe summer insect knows not of winter ice, not because ice does not exist, but because its season dictates so. Recognizing the finite bounds of circumstances, one learns never to constrain the breadth of the mind.
  3. Watching Snow at the Mid-Lake PavilionZhang DaiMist and frost coalesced into boundless haze; sky, clouds, hills, and waters were pure white above and below. Shadows on the lake were merely one line of long dike, one dot of Mid-Lake Pavilion, one blade of grass for my skiff, and two or three mustard seeds for the passengers aboard.
  4. West Lake on the Fifteenth of the Seventh MonthZhang DaiOn West Lake during the Mid-Seventh Month, there is nothing worth seeing except the crowds who come to look. Viewing these crowds, one classifies them into five types... When moonlight turned pale and the east showed white, the guests finally dispersed.
  5. Liu Jingting the StorytellerZhang DaiPockmarked Liu of Nanjing had dark swarthy skin, a face scarred with pockmarks, and an eccentric rough bearing—the so-called 'First Scholar of Storytelling.' Whenever he reached a dramatic climax, he struck the desk once: sudden silence broke into thunderous tumult, as if lightning split the room.
  6. Record of the White Swallows in the Mountain AbodeGui YouguangTwo white swallows, their pure plumage immaculate as jade, flew together and nested upon the rafters. In the quiet solitude of the mountains, finding companion in these rare birds was full of warm affection, like greeting cherished old friends.

Qing

1636–19121 works
  1. Notes from PrisonFang BaoTruth and falsehood are subtle and obscured, unnoticed by the world. Confined in the Ministry of Justice prison, witnessing the cruelty of jailers and exorbitant extortion fees, I felt deeply the corruption of the legal system and the suffering of the populace.