Research on Jinlouzi

Author: Zhong Shilun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-12-01
Features: The Golden Pavilion Records is generally written in the form of notes, reflections, or by quoting famous sayings followed by personal opinions; or by developing one's own thoughts by building on a topic; or by recording historical facts to admonish children; or by recounting past events for self-consolation; or by narrating extraordinary tales to broaden one's knowledge; or by recording social interactions to express friendship, and so on. In short, compared to works like The Rites of Zhou and The Huainanzi, the greatest characteristic of The Golden Pavilion Records is that it was essentially written by Xiao Yi alone. Xiao Yi held little regard for the methods of Lü Buwei and Liu An, often mocking the borrowed hands of Huainanzi and sneering at Lü Buwei's reliance on others. Since his youth, Xiao Yi had been collecting materials and writing The Golden Pavilion Records year by year. It is precisely for this reason that The Golden Pavilion Records provides invaluable direct material for studying Xiao Yi's thoughts, life, writings, and the social and historical context of the Qi and Liang dynasties, especially in the period before the great cultural exchange between the northern and southern regions and the significant integration of northern and southern ethnic groups. This book is the first comprehensive monograph in China dedicated to the study of The Golden Pavilion Records. The author primarily uses the The Golden Pavilion Records from Bao Tingbo's Collection of Books from the Knowledge-Insufficient Studio as the main text, supplemented by citations from Taiping Imperial Encyclopedia, Yongle Dadian, and other versions of The Golden Pavilion Records from the Wenyuan Pavilion Four Treasuries Collection. The first four chapters examine the composition time, style, versions, bibliographic records, and documentary value of The Golden Pavilion Records; the last five chapters present the author's own views on the ideological system, literary theory, concept of literary essence, literary creation, and literary criticism of The Golden Pavilion Records. The appendix includes prefaces and postfaces to The Golden Pavilion Records, historical reviews, and a list of Xiao Yi's writings, all of which are available for reference by researchers.