Flowers in the Mirror (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: (Qing) Li Ruzhen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-09-01
Features: This book is part of the "Classical Popular Fiction Illustration Series." It selects and republishes exquisite original "full illustrations" and "embroidered portraits" from several ancient vernacular popular novels with a wide readership, using modern techniques to integrate them into the new edition, making the book even more exquisite. Flowers in the Mirror is a famous work of ancient vernacular fiction in China. The full book has 100 chapters. The first half depicts the travels of Tang Ao, Lin Zhiyang, and the Elder Brother of Many Years through dozens of countries, describing their experiences with local customs, deities, monsters, and strange plants, birds, animals, and rain. The author's descriptions are engaging. The second half records the various cultural activities of one hundred talented women, including Tang Guichen and others, after passing the imperial examination held by Empress Wu Zetian. These activities include playing the qin, chess, calligraphy, painting, divination, astrology, phonology, arithmetic, lantern riddles, and drinking games, all described in detail. For this published illustrated edition of Flowers in the Mirror, the text is based on the stone-printed edition from Shanghai Dianshi Zhai in the 14th year of the Guangxu reign (1888 AD) for collation and editing. It is supplemented by comparing with the reprinted edition from Jiezi Yuan in the 12th year of the Daoguang reign (1832 AD) and other popular versions. The illustrations are selected from the base text used for this edition and the Jiezi Yuan reprinted edition. There are 100 full illustrations, each paired with a chapter of the novel. Only a few of the one hundred talented women appear in the first 50 chapters, while most appear in groups in the latter 50 chapters. Each woman has an illustrated portrait and accompanying praise, which are inserted in each chapter according to their ranking in the imperial examination.