Mountain Records

Author: Wang Hongzuan (Qing Dynasty), annotated and edited by He Benfang
Publisher:
Publication Date: 1999-09-01
Features: This book is a collection of the author's reading notes and personal observations. It records materials on Confucian studies, history, linguistics, calligraphy, painting, and the study of inscriptions and stone artifacts, as well as social customs and folk traditions of the time. It holds significant reference value for understanding and researching the social history and academic culture during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The book dedicates considerable space to recording miscellaneous observations, with the author's focus primarily on social benefits and correcting contemporary issues. For example, in the section on fire prevention regulations, it teaches people how to save themselves after a fire occurs. In the sections on "lying on ice to cut a leg" and others, it rejects the cruel practices of sacrificing children, cutting livers, or amputating limbs in a desperate attempt to seek official commendation. In the sections on "worshipping Buddha and Laozi" and others, it expresses neither approval nor disapproval of Buddhism and Taoism, advocating for the respect they deserve while also criticizing Cheng Yi's harsh condemnation as excessive. In the sections on Qin Shi Huang, technology, and Zao people, it criticizes the harmful effects of sorcery and divination practices like the "Mai Yi face-reading method." The recorded observations contain very few supernatural or fantastical events, and they provide abundant material for the study of the history of social life in ancient China.