Xixi Congyu: Old Family News - Tang and Song Historical Records

Author: Yao Kuan
Publisher:
Publication Date: 1993-12-01
Features: This book is one of the "Collected Notes on Tang and Song Historical Materials" series, including two notes by Song Dynasty scholars. One, Xixi Congyu (Notes from West Creek), is a work by Yao Kuan (1105-1162) and consists of 141 entries in two volumes. The book is characterized by a pragmatic academic approach and rich historical materials, documenting some lesser-known poems of Song Dynasty figures, lost literary works from various dynasties, descriptions of ancient artifacts such as musical instruments and mirrors, and records of historical official systems. Especially valuable for modern research on Song Dynasty maritime economy and technology are its accounts of the salt tax system in Zhejiang, the Huiji Haitao Bei (Record of the Hui'an Sea Tidal Monument), and the method of testing brine (shihaluo). The other, Jia Shi Jiu Wen (Family Anecdotes), is a work by the famous Song Dynasty poet Lu You, recording the anecdotes and biographies of his ancestors from his great-grandfather Lu Zhen to his father Lu Zai, as well as some predecessors of the Tang family on his mother's side. It covers historical facts from the Song Dynasty emperors from Emperor Zhenzong to Emperor Gaozong, including politics, economy, diplomatic relations, institutional systems, moral norms, academia, and literature. Many of these historical materials are unique to this book and serve as important sources for studying the Northern and Southern Song Dynasties.