# Words of Remembrance in the Inner Chambers

Author: Tu Yuanji
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-03-01
Features: Ancient Chinese literary works were constrained by Confucian rituals, making it difficult for love stories between men and women to be considered refined literature. Moreover, men's elegies for their deceased wives or concubines, which tenderly depict intimate moments in private life and the mundane details of household expenses, were even harder to find in written form. Occasionally, such works might circulate in the market, but in recent decades, they have become nearly extinct. This book includes the pioneering piece of women's memoir prose (Mao Xiang's Yingmei'an Yiyu), the pinnacle of the genre (Shen Fu's Fusheng Liuji), and the final masterpiece of this form (Yu Qiqiang's Jixin Suoyu). It also features currently rare and even more poignant masterpieces (Chen Peizi's Xiangwanlou Yiyu and Jiang Tan's Qiudeng Suoyi), collecting all the most typical, outstanding, and touching memoir prose in Chinese literary history. These five renowned works revolve around scholars and beauties, as well as daily necessities like firewood, rice, cooking oil, and salt. Whether in memory or reflection, they vividly depict scenes that are passionate yet not frivolous, sorrowful yet not overly tragic, deeply moving. It is believed that when readers hold this book, they will feel as described in Jixin Suoyu: "Sudden joy and astonishment intertwine."