Officialdom Chronicles (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: Li Baojia (Qing Dynasty)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1996-06-01
Features: This novel vividly exposes the corruption within the ruling institutions during the collapse of feudal society. Lu Xun remarked, "The narrative focuses on stories of flattery, scheming, obfuscation, grasping, and infighting, as well as the passion of scholars for official positions and the hidden affairs of officials' households. The plot is intricate, with a large cast of characters. The storytelling often follows a single individual from beginning to end, intermittent and disjointed, much like The Story of the Stone." The officials depicted in the book are utterly ignorant, despicable, and morally corrupt, to an extreme degree. They oppress and exploit the people with cruelty and brutality, also to an extreme. However, the author did not provide a profound artistic summary of reality, and there is also an element of catering to the times and seeking popularity. Lu Xun also pointed out, "There are many speculative elements, making it difficult to call it a true record. It lacks the depth of 'subtlety and richness' mentioned in the preface, and it is far from the legacy of the 'Old Wood' (a pseudonym for Wu Jingzi). Moreover, the material collected is merely a series of 'topics' strung together to form an encyclopedia-like work. Court gatherings are small in variety but largely the same, compiled into a lengthy account—repetitive and uniform. Only because of the demands of the times did The Real Story of the Official World gain sudden fame. And as a result, the term 'Real Story' was adopted to describe other fields, such as business, academia, and the female world, which followed suit."