Chao Ye Qian Zai Sui Tang Jia Hua

Author: Zhang Zhu
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-05-01
Features: Liu Su's Sui-Tang Jiahua is not recorded in the Old Book of Tang or the New Book of Tang's Catalogue of Classics. In the Direct Solution of the Zhiqi Shulu by Chen Zhen of the Southern Song Dynasty, it was recorded in the category of Novelists as Sui-Tang Jiahua, written by Liu Su. The Art and Literature Catalogue of the Song History also records Sui-Tang Jiahua, one volume, listed between Liu Su's biography and novels. The surviving Gushi Wenfang Xushu edition, based on the Song edition, has characters like "zhen" and "gou" with strokes omitted, divided into three volumes: upper, middle, and lower. There is also the Jigutang Congke edition, which is almost identical to the Gushi edition and seems to originate from the same source. Additionally, there are editions like the Lidai Xiaoshi and Tangren Yinhui, which are not divided into volumes and have fewer entries.
Liu Su, styled Dingqing, was the son of the historian Liu Zhiji and is mentioned in the Biography of Liu in the Yutang Shu. According to the biography, he had a work titled Guochao Zhuanji, which was recorded in the New Book of Tang's Catalogue of Art and Literature under the category of Miscellaneous Biographies (Volume E). Later, it was also recorded under the category of Novelists (Volume B) as Biographies, three volumes, which should be a shortened form of Guochao Zhuanji. This book was cited by Shao Bo in the Henan Shao's Postscript to the Jianwen Houlu (Volume 30), indicating that the name Guochao Zhuanji was already in use in the Northern Song Dynasty.
Furthermore, when Ma Guang compiled the Zizhi Tongjian, he adopted Liu Su's novels. Not only did he quote the original text of the novels in his research, but some historical facts about the Tang Dynasty in the Zizhi Tongjian were already present in the current edition of Sui-Tang Jiahua.