The popularity of the Chinese storyteller goes back to the marketplace of the T'ang dynasty, but the familiar figure came into its own in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. This selection of stories from Feng Menglong's collection, Stories Old and New (originally published in 1624), includes representative types of the storyteller's traditional art. "The Pearl-Sewn Shirt" is a cautionary romance describing the tragedy of a broken marriage; the heroic biography, which depicts a neglected man of high worth gradually receiving recognition, is represented by "Wine and Dumplings"; an authentic twelfth-century forerunner of the detective story is found in "The Canary Murders." The other tales concern traffic in the supernatural, didactic admonitions to observe morality in sex and loyalty in friendship, and realistic accounts of the meanness and corruption of official life. Also includes "The Lady Who Was a Beggar," "The Journey of the Corpse," "The Story of Wu Pao-an," and "The Fairy's Rescue."

Presented here are nine tales from the " "celebrated Ming dynasty "Sanyan" collection of vernacular stories compiled and edited by Feng Menglong (1574-1646), the most knowledgeable connoisseur of popular literature of his time in China. The stories he collected were pivotal to the development of Chinese vernacular fiction, and their importance in the Chinese literary canon and world literature has been compared to that of Boccaccio's "Decameron" and the stories of "One Thousand and One Nights."

Peopled with scholars, emperors, ministers, generals, and a gallery of ordinary men and women in their everyday surroundings--merchants and artisans, prostitutes and courtesans, matchmakers and fortune-tellers, monks and nuns, servants and maids, thieves and imposters--the stories provide a vivid panorama of the bustling world of imperial China before the end of the Ming dynasty.

The three volumes constituting the "Sanyan" set-- "Stories" " " "Old and New," "Stories to" "Caution" " " "the" " W" "orld," and "Stories to Awaken the World, " each containing forty tales--have been translated in their entirety by Shuhui Yang and Yunqin Yang. The stories in this volume were selected for their popularity with American readers and their usefulness as texts in classes on Chinese and comparative literature. These unabridged translations include all the poetry that is scattered throughout the original stories, as well as Feng Menglong's interlinear and marginal comments, which point out what seventeenth-century readers of the stories were being asked to appreciate.

Stories Old and New is the first complete translation of Feng Menglong's Gujin xiaoshuo (also known as Yushi mingyan, or Illustrious Words to Instruct the World), a collection of forty 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. Characters find themselves involved in political intrigue, tests of friendship, inheritance disputes, extramarital affairs, and visits to the underworld. Social mores are examined through playful manipulations of plot and subplot. Virtue is eventually rewarded (though perhaps not in this life), and the world -- seen and unseen -- is depicted as a complicated but ultimately logical and understandable place. The streets and abodes of late-Ming China, and the characters who populate them, come alive in Shuhui Yang and Yunqin Yang's smooth and colorful translation of these entertaining tales.

Stories Old and New has been published in China in numerous editions. Although English translations of some of the stories have appeared in journals and anthologies, until now, nowhere have the stories been presented sequentially in thematic pairs as arranged by Feng Menglong. This unabridged translation is illustrated with a selection of woodcuts from the original Ming edition and includes Feng's interlinear notes and marginal comments, as well asall of the verse woven throughout the text.

Translated in full for the first time, this second volume immerses readers in the power and drama of the electrifying classic Chinese novel.  Lord Wen of Jin brings some temporary stability to the political scene when he returns after many years in exile. However, the grants of land and office to his longstanding supporters make them too powerful for his successors to control. Just as the Zhou aristocrats seize power from their king, a bitter struggle begins as ministers seek to impose their authority on their lords.   One of the great works of Chinese literature, Kingdoms in Peril is an epic historical novel charting the five hundred years leading to the unification of the country in 221 B.C.E. under the rule of the legendary First Emperor. Writing some fourteen hundred years later, the Ming-era author Feng Menglong drew on a vast trove of literary and historical documents to compose a gripping narrative account of how China was forged. Detailing the stories of unforgettable characters who defined and shaped the times in which they lived, the complete edition of Kingdoms in Peril is a vital resource for those seeking a comprehensive overview of China’s ancient past and the political machinations that led to its unification. There are many historical works that provide an account of some of these events, but none are as thrilling and breathtakingly memorable as Kingdoms in Peril.

Translated in full for the first time, this fourth volume immerses readers in the power and drama of the electrifying classic Chinese novel.  Many centuries of violence have forged a new political order, and seven great warring kingdoms are now established. However, old loyalties persist, and brave men are still determined to avenge their former lords. Even as their world consigns them to the past, a handful of assassins still seek to rewrite history.   One of the great works of Chinese literature, Kingdoms in Peril is an epic historical novel charting the five hundred years leading to the unification of the country in 221 B.C.E. under the rule of the legendary First Emperor. Writing some fourteen hundred years later, the Ming-era author Feng Menglong drew on a vast trove of literary and historical documents to compose a gripping narrative account of how China was forged. Detailing the stories of unforgettable characters who defined and shaped the times in which they lived, the complete edition of Kingdoms in Peril is a vital resource for those seeking a comprehensive overview of China’s ancient past and the political machinations that led to its unification. There are many historical works that provide an account of some of these events, but none are as thrilling and breathtakingly memorable as Kingdoms in Peril.

Translated in full for the first time, this first volume immerses readers in the power and drama of the electrifying classic Chinese novel.  Deep inside the Zhou royal palace, an ancient curse is released, and darkness spreads across the land. An incompetent king’s mad passion for a teenaged slave leads to the country being torn apart by civil war. As the situation unravels, will anyone attempt to stand against the forces of chaos?   One of the great works of Chinese literature, Kingdoms in Peril is an epic historical novel charting the five hundred years leading to the unification of the country in 221 B.C.E. under the rule of the legendary First Emperor. Writing some fourteen hundred years later, the Ming-era author Feng Menglong drew on a vast trove of literary and historical documents to compose a gripping narrative account of how China was forged. Detailing the stories of unforgettable characters who defined and shaped the times in which they lived, the complete edition of Kingdoms in Peril is a vital resource for those seeking a comprehensive overview of China’s ancient past and the political machinations that led to its unification. There are many historical works that provide an account of some of these events, but none are as thrilling and breathtakingly memorable as Kingdoms in Peril.

Translated in full for the first time, this third volume immerses readers in the power and drama of the electrifying classic Chinese novel.  The three great southern states of Chu, Wu, and Yue are locked in conflict, and their kings feel a hatred for each other that transcends all bounds. Cruel humiliations are imposed on the vanquished each time a battle is lost, while vicious scheming and internecine manipulation destroy many lives. The balance of power is threatened—but there can only be one victor.   One of the great works of Chinese literature, Kingdoms in Peril is an epic historical novel charting the five hundred years leading to the unification of the country in 221 B.C.E. under the rule of the legendary First Emperor. Writing some fourteen hundred years later, the Ming-era author Feng Menglong drew on a vast trove of literary and historical documents to compose a gripping narrative account of how China was forged. Detailing the stories of unforgettable characters who defined and shaped the times in which they lived, the complete edition of Kingdoms in Peril is a vital resource for those seeking a comprehensive overview of China’s ancient past and the political machinations that led to its unification. There are many historical works that provide an account of some of these events, but none are as thrilling and breathtakingly memorable as Kingdoms in Peril.

Stories to Caution the World is the first complete translation of Jingshi tongyan, the second of Feng Menglong's three collections of stories which were pivotal in the development of Chinese vernacular fiction. These tales, whose importance in the Chinese literary canon and in world literature is without question, have been compared to Boccaccio's Decameron and the stories of A Thousand and One Nights. Peopled with scholars, emperors, ministers, generals, and a gallery of ordinary men and women in their everyday surroundings -- merchants and artisans, prostitutes and courtesans, matchmakers and fortune-tellers, monks and nuns, servants and maids, thieves and imposters -- the stories in this collection provide a vivid panorama of the bustling world of imperial China before the end of the Ming dynasty. Feng Menglong collected popular stories from a variety of sources (some dating back centuries) and circulated them via the flourishing seventeenth-century publishing industry. He not only saved them from oblivion but elevated the status of vernacular literature and provided material for authors of the great late-Ming and Qing novels to draw upon. As in their translation of the first collection of Feng's trilogy, Stories Old and New, Shuhui and Yunqin Yang include all forty stories as well as Feng's interlinear and marginal comments and all of the verse woven throughout the stories. For other titles in the collection go to http://www.washington.edu/uwpress/books/ming.html

Translated in full for the first time, this second volume immerses readers in the power and drama of the electrifying classic Chinese novel.  Lord Wen of Jin brings some temporary stability to the political scene when he returns after many years in exile. However, the grants of land and office to his longstanding supporters make them too powerful for his successors to control. Just as the Zhou aristocrats seize power from their king, a bitter struggle begins as ministers seek to impose their authority on their lords.   One of the great works of Chinese literature, Kingdoms in Peril is an epic historical novel charting the five hundred years leading to the unification of the country in 221 B.C.E. under the rule of the legendary First Emperor. Writing some fourteen hundred years later, the Ming-era author Feng Menglong drew on a vast trove of literary and historical documents to compose a gripping narrative account of how China was forged. Detailing the stories of unforgettable characters who defined and shaped the times in which they lived, the complete edition of Kingdoms in Peril is a vital resource for those seeking a comprehensive overview of China’s ancient past and the political machinations that led to its unification. There are many historical works that provide an account of some of these events, but none are as thrilling and breathtakingly memorable as Kingdoms in Peril.

Translated in full for the first time, this third volume immerses readers in the power and drama of the electrifying classic Chinese novel.  The three great southern states of Chu, Wu, and Yue are locked in conflict, and their kings feel a hatred for each other that transcends all bounds. Cruel humiliations are imposed on the vanquished each time a battle is lost, while vicious scheming and internecine manipulation destroy many lives. The balance of power is threatened—but there can only be one victor.   One of the great works of Chinese literature, Kingdoms in Peril is an epic historical novel charting the five hundred years leading to the unification of the country in 221 B.C.E. under the rule of the legendary First Emperor. Writing some fourteen hundred years later, the Ming-era author Feng Menglong drew on a vast trove of literary and historical documents to compose a gripping narrative account of how China was forged. Detailing the stories of unforgettable characters who defined and shaped the times in which they lived, the complete edition of Kingdoms in Peril is a vital resource for those seeking a comprehensive overview of China’s ancient past and the political machinations that led to its unification. There are many historical works that provide an account of some of these events, but none are as thrilling and breathtakingly memorable as Kingdoms in Peril.

Translated in full for the first time, this fourth volume immerses readers in the power and drama of the electrifying classic Chinese novel.  Many centuries of violence have forged a new political order, and seven great warring kingdoms are now established. However, old loyalties persist, and brave men are still determined to avenge their former lords. Even as their world consigns them to the past, a handful of assassins still seek to rewrite history.   One of the great works of Chinese literature, Kingdoms in Peril is an epic historical novel charting the five hundred years leading to the unification of the country in 221 B.C.E. under the rule of the legendary First Emperor. Writing some fourteen hundred years later, the Ming-era author Feng Menglong drew on a vast trove of literary and historical documents to compose a gripping narrative account of how China was forged. Detailing the stories of unforgettable characters who defined and shaped the times in which they lived, the complete edition of Kingdoms in Peril is a vital resource for those seeking a comprehensive overview of China’s ancient past and the political machinations that led to its unification. There are many historical works that provide an account of some of these events, but none are as thrilling and breathtakingly memorable as Kingdoms in Peril.

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