Nesting Forest Notes -- Qing Dynasty

Author: Gong Wei (Qing Dynasty), annotated by Qian Binghuan
Publisher:
Publishing Date: Not available
Features: The Chronicles of Chao Lin (six volumes), Continuation (eleven volumes), written by Gong Wei of the Qing Dynasty. Wei, styled Chao Lin, called himself Chao Lin Sanren, and later took the name Jixi Laomin. He was from Kunshan, Jiangsu. Born in the 43rd year of the Kangxi reign (1704), he was still alive at the age of 66 in the 34th year of the Qianlong reign (1769). His great-grandfather was styled Xipu and served in the Ming Dynasty. His father, styled Liaocun, was a jinshi and served as an examiner in Jiangxi. His mother, Gushi, was well-versed in poetry and literature, and his aunts and sisters were all literate. His wife, Wangshi, came from a prominent family in Loudong. By the time of the author, the family had declined from wealth to middle status. Wei loved classics and history, excelled in poetry and prose, was skilled in music and bamboo instruments, and also practiced martial arts. His writings were highly praised by his teachers and friends. For example, Shen Qiyuan (styled Jingting), a respected figure of the time, once read his writings and declared, "The Han-style literature has reappeared." Lu Jing once remarked, "In his writings, there is nothing but fragrance, and beyond the confines of his works, there is a unique craftsmanship. He has reached the pinnacle of a talent's abilities and dispelled the grievances of a scholar." However, he failed the imperial examinations multiple times and, even after turning forty, had not passed the exams. He deeply felt his unfulfilled talent and once wrote, "Twenty years of preparing for the imperial examinations have wasted half of my useful life. Three failures in the provincial exams have left me with nine volumes of nameless failures." Due to frequent illnesses, he had to give up his ambitions of entering official service.
"Instead, he shut himself indoors, avoiding medicine and remedies. Books may be damaged, but not the mind; there is nothing to desire. Holding a brush is not about money; where would worries come from? The four-score-year-old flower can be a friend, and the single branch of the wise can be a model. In games of chance, he did not refuse to play; in music and strings, even if alone, he found joy. His mind held mountains and rivers, and even in his small room, he had a distant view. Resting in the realm of Xuan and Xu, the world's flavors became ancient and. Without a position, he could enjoy the wind and moon; with books, he might resemble the addiction to smoke and clouds." His later life was largely like this. Gong Wei's other writings include The Collection of Shexin (several volumes), Records of Insect Disasters and Continuation of Records of Insect Disasters (each one volume), Records of Lakes and Mountains (one volume), Records of Ruan's Journey (two volumes), and Explorations in the Garden of Brushes (several volumes), which may all have been lost. There is no biography of the author, and his family background, life, and writings are only roughly compiled from scattered records in this book as follows.
Gong Wei once wrote, "In the past forty years, what I have seen and what I have wanted to express have gradually appeared in this book." The book is arranged chronologically, starting from the late Kangxi reign and ending around the 28th year of the Qianlong reign. The content is quite extensive, covering social customs, historical records, natural and human disasters, official corruption, as well as literary reflections and interactions with friends and relatives. The author's writing is fluent, as if conversing with old friends. For example, in his account of the insect disaster in the 20th year of the Qianlong reign, he wrote, "During the White Dew Festival, the water boiled like steam, the rice roots rotted, and insects emerged. This was a natural occurrence, but it was unexpected to be so severe. At the beginning of the month, I heard of insect disasters in the three counties of the prefecture; yet in my county, the crops were lush, and a good harvest seemed possible. Mid-Autumn came, and the insects also emerged in the dark, spreading without end. The once lush crops were now all red." That year, there was a severe famine, and the people had nothing to rely on. The price of a stone of rice rose to over five taels of silver.
"They valued grain as if it were jade, and used wild greens as if they were delicacies. Fields were meant to feed the people, but now they were considered dirty; pawn shops were meant to secure loans, but now they were empty. Exquisite carvings of sandalwood and zitan were only sold for firewood; splendid scrolls were not worth the price of paper money. Scholars gathered in the western suburbs of Dongzhou, yet even they sought rice; beggars filled the streets, and many more fell into the. Those who carried burdens could not provide for their families, and some even sought suicide." Just after the famine, "epidemics spread, and those who caught the disease died. Countless deaths occurred. Among the scholars, Zhou Kanzhuang suffered the most, with all seven of his family members dying." Only four years later, "insects again devoured the crops, yielding no more than one or two dou of rotten rice. There was not enough food, and several mouths were starving in the summer." When the poor were suffering from hunger, cold, and epidemics, corrupt officials, unscrupulous merchants, and petty clerks and households colluded to seize relief funds, enriching themselves while the people died of hunger. "They collected gold and grain to buy estates and laughed, pointing at the bones in the streets." This depicted a tragic contrast between officials and scholars and the common people. Similar records also include wind and flood disasters in the 10th year of the Yongzheng reign and around the 12th year of the Qianlong reign.
Regarding the customs of Wu in daily life, he wrote, "The customs of Wu are extravagant and extravagant, growing day by day without knowing when to stop. How can there be enough for everyone? When I was young, scholars wore only fur coats, but now even women and children in the streets wear fur. Red silk hats were worn by one in twenty, but now by one in eighteen or nineteen. Without a single stone of savings, it is a shame to wear coarse cloth. The decorations of turning dragons and standing dragons, the gold-painted and gold-cut clothes, have been adopted by the common people. The more expensive the item, the harder it is to afford, and those who add luxury have no satisfaction." Regarding marriage, he wrote, "The match sought to match status, and the couple sought virtue, with wealth being secondary. The customs of Wu have declined, with men calculating the dowry and women demanding betrothal gifts. Some even wrote draft contracts before marrying. Thus, the rituals became like contracts, and it was extremely indecent. Moreover, once profit was involved, the distinction between good and bad, and the choice of partners, were no longer considered."
His records of temple fairs are also quite detailed: "The people of Wu believe in sorcery and worship ghosts. During the temple fairs, they hold grand processions: orderly attendants, paired in rows, dressed as officials, riding in pairs. The repeated playing of drums, pipes, and strings made the clouds seem to move; the fluttering of banners and canopies made the sun seem bright. Holding spears and shields, they retained the customs of the great; walking dogs and hunting with hawks may have had the meaning of hunting. They gathered gold and jewels to decorate pavilions, and wove silk and brocade into towers. Those holding incense bowed on the road, and those with whips knelt on the ground. Although they varied by custom, none were as extravagant as this. Once, I visited Chaxi and happened to witness a grand fair, where they innovated in pavilions and towers and drew on ancient classics. On Jinhuashan, they appeared as wealthy immortals; at the southern end of Liu Market, they turned into a prosperous world. Tao Yuanming's yellow flowers along the path were all treasures, and Pei Jun Gong's green night banquets were all filled with pearls. They divided into two teams to compete, and the entire nation seemed to go mad. The splendor of the banners was secondary; the decoration of pearls was truly a marvel."
"On the 28th day of the third month, known as the birth of Tai, the gods of each village gathered at the Tai Temple. There were several temples, with stone tablets between Kunshan and Changshu, where the fairs were particularly grand. On the day of the fair, people gathered from land and water, adding to the drumbeats and martial performances, with boats racing across the river. The jade flutes and golden pipes flew over the clear waves; the green sleeves and red faces flowed like flowers on the ripples. Truly, these were customs that were not abandoned, and also something that the joyful could enjoy."
These records reflect, to some extent, the economic development of the Jiangnan region during the Ming and Qing dynasties and can serve as references for economic history research. At the same time, they also provide materials for sociological research.