Qing Dynasty historical records notes Nest Forest Talks

Author: Gong Wei (Qing Dynasty)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-03-01
Features: The Nest Forest Notes (six volumes), Continuation (eleven volumes), written by Gong Wei of the Qing Dynasty. Gong Wei, styled Chao Lin, called himself Chao Lin Sanren, and later styled Jixi Laomin. He was from Kunshan, Jiangsu. Born in the 43rd year of the Kangxi reign (1704), he was still alive at the age of 66 in the 34th year of the Qianlong reign (1769). His great-grandfather was styled Xipu and served in the Ming Dynasty. His father, styled Liaocun, was a jinshi and served as an examiner in Jiangxi. His mother, Lady Ge, was well-versed in poetry and books, and his aunts and sisters were all literate. His wife, Lady Wang, belonged to a prominent family in Loudong. By the time of the author, the family had declined from wealth to middle status. Gong Wei loved classics and history, excelled in poetry and prose, was skilled in music and bamboo instruments, and also practiced martial arts. His writings were highly praised by his teachers and friends. For example, Shen Qiyuan (styled Jingting), who was highly regarded at the time, once read his writings and remarked, "The Han-style literature has reappeared." Lu Ji and Qi Jing called his works, "In his writings, there is nothing but fragrance, and beyond the confines of the ordinary, there is a unique forge. He has reached the pinnacle of a talent, extinguishing the grievances of the weary." However, he failed the imperial examinations repeatedly and, despite being over forty, never passed. He deeply felt his talent was unappreciated and once wrote, "Twenty years of preparing for the imperial examinations have wasted half of my useful life. Three failures in the provincial examinations have left me with nine volumes of nameless failures." Due to frequent illnesses, he had to give up his pursuit of a official career. "I have shut myself indoors, avoiding medicine and treatment. Books are not for material gain, and I have no desires. Holding a brush is not for money, so where will worries come from? The four decades of flowers in bloom can be my friends, and a single branch of the wise can be my model. In games, I do not do what I do not wish to do; in music and strings, even if I enjoy solitude, I still enjoy it. My chest holds mountains and rivers, and even in my small room, I have distant views; resting in the realm of Xuan and Xu, the world's flavors become ancient and. Without a position, I should add to my appreciation of wind and moon; with green scrolls, I might resemble those who are obsessed with smoke and mist." This was roughly his late-life situation. Gong Wei's other works include The Golden Dust Collection (several volumes), Records of Insect Disasters and Continuation of Records of Insect Disasters (each one volume), Records of Lakes and Mountains Travel (one volume), Records of Ruan's Journey (two volumes), and Exploring the Forest of Calligraphy (several volumes), which may all have been lost. There is no record of the author's life, and only scattered information about his family background, life, and works have been compiled as above. Gong Wei once wrote, "In the past forty years, what I have seen and what I wish to express have gradually appeared in this book." The book is arranged in chronological order, starting from the late Kangxi era and ending around the 28th year of the Qianlong reign. The content is quite extensive, covering social customs, historical records, natural and human disasters, official corruption, as well as literary reflections and interactions with friends and relatives. The author's writing is fluent and engaging, as if conversing with old friends. For example, his account of the insect disaster in the 20th year of the Qianlong reign reads: "During the White Dew Festival, the water boiled, and the rice roots rotted, giving rise to insects, which was natural, but never as severe as this. At the beginning of the month, I heard of insect disasters in the three counties of the prefecture; yet my county's crops were lush, and the harvest seemed assured. Mid-Autumn came, and the insects also began to rise in the dark, spreading without end. What had been lush crops were now turned red at a glance." That year, there was a severe famine, and the people had nothing to rely on. The price of a stone of rice rose to five taels of silver or more. "They compared grain to pearls and jade, and drove wild greens like delicacies. Fields were meant to nourish the people, but now they were seen as dirty; pawn shops were meant to secure loans, but now they were empty. Exquisite carvings of sandalwood and zitan were only sold for firewood; splendid scrolls were not worth paper money. Scholars gathered in the western suburbs of the city, yet they still sought rice; beggars filled the streets, and many more fell into the. Those who carried burdens could not provide for their families, and some even sought suicide." Just after the disaster, "epidemics plagued the land, and those who caught the disease died. Countless deaths occurred. Among the scholars, the most tragic was Zhou Kanzhuang, whose entire family of seven perished." Only four years later, "insects again devoured the crops, yielding no more than one or two dou of rotten rice. Food was insufficient, and several mouths were starving, with no relief in the summer." When the poor were suffering from hunger and cold, and epidemics were rampant, corrupt officials, unscrupulous merchants, and petty clerks and households colluded to seize relief funds, growing wealthy, "while they collected gold and grain to enrich their estates, they laughed and pointed at the bones in the streets." This depicted a tragic contrast between officials and gentry and the common people. Similar records include those of wind and flood disasters in the 10th year of the Yongzheng reign and around the 12th year of the Qianlong reign. Regarding the customs of Wu in daily life, he wrote, "The customs of Wu are extravagant and extravagant, growing day by day without restraint, how can there be enough for everyone? In my youth, scholars merely wore fur coats, but now even women and children in the streets wear fur. Red silk hats were worn by one in twenty, but now by one in eighteen or nineteen. Without a single stone of savings, it is a shame to wear coarse cloth. The decorations of dragon and dragon, the gold-painted and gold-cut clothes, are now worn by common households. The more expensive the items, the harder it is to afford, and those who add beauty have no satisfaction." Regarding marriage, he wrote, "The match sought to match status, and the couple sought virtue, with wealth being secondary. The customs of Wu have declined, with men calculating the dowry and women demanding betrothal gifts, with some even drafting contracts before marrying. Thus, rituals became like contracts, and the vulgarity was extreme. Moreover, once profit was involved, the good and the bad were not considered, and partners were not chosen. The records of temple fairs are also quite detailed. The customs of Wu believe in sorcery and worship ghosts, and during the temple fairs, the processions were grand: orderly attendants, paired in rows, officials in uniform, riding in pairs. The repeated playing of drums, pipes, and strings made the clouds dance; the fluttering of banners and canopies made the sun shine. Holding spears and shields, they retained the spirit of the great; walking dogs and hunting with hawks, they may have had the meaning of hunting. They gathered gold and jewels to decorate pavilions, and wove silk and brocade into towers. Those holding incense bowed on the road, and those with whips knelt. Though customs varied, none were as extravagant as this. Once I visited Chaji River and encountered a grand fair, creating novelty in pavilions and drawing from ancient classics. On Jinhu Mountain, the rich and the divine appeared; at the southern end of Liu Market, it became a prosperous world. Tao Yuanming's golden flowers on the path were all pearls; Pei Jin Gong's green night banquets were all filled with pearl boxes. They divided into two groups to compete, and the entire nation seemed to be mad. The splendor of the processions was secondary; the decoration with pearls was truly a spectacle." "On the 28th day of the third month, known as the birth of Mount Tai, the gods of the various villages gathered at the Tai Temple. There were several temples, with stone tablets between Kunshan and Changshu, where the fairs were particularly grand. On the day, people gathered from land and water, adding to the drumbeats and martial performances, with racing boats crossing the river. The jade flutes and gold pipes flew over the clear waves; the green sleeves and red faces flowed like flowers on the ripples. Truly, these customs were not abandoned by the tribute, and they also brought joy to those who loved excitement." These records reflect, to some extent, the economic development of the Jiangnan region during the Ming and Qing dynasties and can serve as references for economic history research. At the same time, they also provide materials for sociological research.