Stories Old and New: A Ming Dynasty Collection

by 冯梦龙 Feng Menglong, Shuhui Yang (Translator), Yunqin Yang (Translator)

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.

Genres: China, Chinese Literature, 17th Century, Fiction, Classics, Short Stories, Literature

825 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1620

About the author

Feng Menglong (1574–1646) was a Chinese vernacular writer and poet of the late Ming Dynasty.

Most of his literary work was in editing and compiling histories, almanacs and novels. Two of his noteworthy novels are Qing Shi and the shenmo work Pingyao Zhuan. In 1620 he published the Illustrious Words to Instruct the World (喻世明言 Yushi Mingyan), or Stories Old and New.

Feng was a proponent of the school of Li Zhi, which supported the importance of human feelings and behavior in literature. He is frequently associated with Ling Mengchu, author of Slapping the Table in Amazement.

Feng Menglong was in love with a famous prostitute when he was young. Unfortunately, Feng Menglong was not able to afford to redeem his lover out. At the end, his lover was redeemed by a merchant, and they had to leave each other. Feng Menglong suffered from pain and desperation due to the separation, and he expressed his sorrow through poems. This experience influenced the way he portrayed female characters in his stories. In fact, Feng Menglong was one of the few authors who portrayed female as being strong and intelligent; and this is different from other authors, where they tended to ignore the importance of female’s position. The female characters in Feng Menglong’s stories were portrayed as brave and bright when dealing with different situations. For instance, in his story Wan Xiuniang Takes Revenge Through Toy Pavilions from Jing Shi Tong Yan, Wan Xiuniang showed her braveness during her tough times, and she was able to escape using her intelligence. Other female characters, such as Miss Du Shi Niang and Qu Xiuxiu, are example to show Feng Menglong’s respect to female.

Feng Menglong expressed his attitudes towards the society through his works, and the reason was tightly related to his experience during his career. Feng Menglong became a local officer in Shouning in his sixties. He pursued justice and wished to build up his reputation by acting as an honest and upright official. Unfortunately, he was born in a time of corruption; bribery and extortion were common bureaucratic behaviors, and they opposed the principle of Feng Menglong. Realizing that atmosphere of corruption could not be easily changed, Feng Menglong conveyed his discontent and patriotism through words. Each character of his stories has strong and direct characteristics: there is a clear morality line drawn between “good” and “bad”. Moreover, the meaning behind the stories explores the social issues during Ming Dynasty. For instance, the story The White Maiden Locked for Eternity in Leifeng Pagoda and The Young Lady Gives the Young Man a Gift of Money from Jing Shi Tong Yan express the idea of how women pursue their freedom and happiness under a feudal society.

Reviews

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A full translation of Feng Menglong's San Yan is totally unbelievable. This is the first volume of 40 stories and 794 pages long. I started reading it back in November but had to stop reading it when I hurt my wrist as it was too big and heavy to hold. I finished up the remaining stories this week. I totally loved this book. The stories are brilliant and Feng's comments are amusing and enjoyable. A lot of the stories are quite long, around 40 pages or so and you get a real sense of the characters. The plots range from the mundane to the supernatural. There are courtesans, bandits, ghosts, fox spirits and deities. One of my favorites was about two men who became good friends. When they parted they agreed to meet again on a certain day in the future. The man who was supposed to travel wasn't able to and having heard that ghosts could travel a 1000 li in a day killed himself so he could travel at supernatural speeds to meet his friend for their visit. They had dinner and then he revealed what he had done. His friend went to his home and buried him, then killed himself after ordering that they be buried together. These stories are all the reasons that I love Chinese literature, culture and history so much. I was bought the second volume (over 800 pages) for Christmas and can't wait to read the next installment. I know this is one book I will read over and over.

[Helmut · Rating 5 out of 5]

Klare Worte, um die Welt zu erhellen

Der Freund, der viele Lebensjahre für seinen gefangenen Freund hingibt; die Zusammenführung einer Ehe über vier Ecken und viele Verwirrungen; der Weg eines Taoisten hin zur Unsterblichkeit entgegen den Machenschaften vieler dämonischer Feinde: Dies sind einige der Themen der Geschichten, die Feng Menglong in der Ming-Dynastie zusammengetragen, bearbeitet und veröffentlicht hat. Der mündliche Ursprung vieler der Geschichten wird nicht verborgen: Der Erzähler ist klar in Struktur und Inhalt noch erkennbar, sei es durch die direkte Ansprache oder die Vorgeschichten, die den meisten Einzelepisoden vorangestellt werden. Paarweise (erstmals in dieser originalen Anordnung in Übersetzung erhältlich) beleuchten die Geschichten Aspekte der Alltagskultur wie Freundschaft, Liebe, Treue, Loyalität, Gerechtigkeit und Aufrichtigkeit - ein Kaleidoskop der chinesischen Kultur aus verschiedensten Zeitaltern und ein interessantes Fenster in die Vergangenheit. Sprachlich und thematisch vielleicht nicht ganz so ausgefeilt wie die Werke eines Li Yu, so findet sich in diesen 40 Schnurren doch viel Unterhaltsames und vielleicht tatsächlich, wie vom Autor gewünscht, "Erhellendes".

Die Bindung ist fest und hält den dicken, großformatigen 800-Seiten-Wälzer gut zusammen. Papier und Druckbild sind hochwertig, die immer wieder auftauchenden Reproduktionen der alten Drucke etwas grob und zu dunkel. Die Romanisierung erfolgt in Pinyin ohne Tonmarkierung, hin und wieder sind auch chinesische Schriftzeichen vorhanden. Die Randbemerkungen Fengs sind, kursiv gesetzt, an den Originalstellen im Text eingefügt und kommentieren die aktuelle Handlung. Ungewohnt, aber nicht störend, ist der Flattersatz. Die englische Übersetzung ist sehr flüssig und aus einem Guss in moderner Sprache; die Gedichte, die immer wieder auftreten, wurden in freiem Vers übertragen und nicht künstlich in Reimform gezwungen.

Eine gewisse Ähnlichkeit in der Themenwahl zu Pu Songlings "Liaozhai Zhiyi" (auf deutsch als "Geister- und Liebesgeschichten aus der Sammlung Liao-dschai dschi-yi" erhältlich) ist unverkennbar, doch Fengs Geschichten sind deutlich erdiger und humorvoller als die Pus. Trotzdem sei auch diese Lektüre jedem empfohlen, den Feng Menglong mit seinem Werk in den Bann gezogen hat. Oder man greift zu den 80 weiteren "Sanyan"-Geschichten Fengs, die die Welt aufmuntern und ernüchtern sollen.

[Lulu]

1620

[Brysen Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hoo this took me a while.
If you wanna get into Chinese vernacular fiction, this is a wonderful place to start. It's stories are colorful and paint a fantastical and entertaining picture of life in Dynastic China. From simple mysteries, to romance, supernatural tales of gods, ghosts, spirits and demons, scholar officials, reincarnating monks, trips to hell, and picaresque tales of criminals.

Favorite Stories (in no particular order):
10. Magistrate Teng Settles the Case of Inheritance with Ghostly Cleverness
12. The Courtesans Mourn Liu the Seventh in the Spring Breeze
16. The Chicken-and-Millet Dinner for Fan Juqing, Friend in Life and Death
19. Yang Qianzhi Meets a Monk Knight-Errant on a Journey by Boat
20. Chen Congshan Loses His Wife on Mei Ridge
21. Qian Poliu Begins His Career in Lin’an
25. Yan Pingzhong Kills Three Men with Two Peaches
26. Shen Xiu Causes Seven Deaths with One Bird
29. Monk Moon Bright Redeems Willow Green
31. Sima Mao Disrupts Order in the Underworld and Sits in Judgment
33. Old Man Zhang Grows Melons and Marries Wennü
36. Song the Fourth Greatly Torments Tightwad Zhang

The whole collection is very good. Firm recommend if you wanna get into Chinese Literature without diving headfirst into the Classics. Can't wait to read the other two parts in the Sanyan Trilogy.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

The forty stories in this collection are thematically paired, and each typically begins with a poem and a sort of prologue story before launching into the main narrative. The prologue story often ends abruptly, leaving the reader wanting more, where the main narrative is sometimes a bit overwritten. Many of them sort of washed over me without leaving a strong impression, even though I tried reading them spaced out at different times. Still, they’re sophisticated stories, and in each one I could usually see either interesting cultural context or a thoughtful moral.

[Justin Newland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yup, a fascinating read. A great introduction to the beliefs and culture of the Chinese in the Ming Dynasty. I was particularly interested in the social mores and the keen Chinese belief in the supernatural, both of which are amply represented in these unusual stories.

[Wenxi Chen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting short stories. Definitely eye opening. It reveals the values and believes of China’s old dynasties.

[Johanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is the first book that exposed me to smut stories