Wonderful Views of Ancient and Modern Times (Volume 1 and 2) (Illustrated Text)

Author: (Ming) Bao Weng Lao Ren Ji
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-08-01
Features: Fiction is the complement of official history. The tales of transformation and the old man with a hunched back recorded in the Zhuangzi and Liezi are not listed in history. The Journey of the Yellow Emperor to the West, The Legend of the Four Gentlemen, and The Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu and Yue all belong to the category of fiction. The tales such as Remnants of the Kaiyuan Era, The Crimson Thread, The Only One, The Fragrant Pillar, and The Hidden Maiden, as well as the various records in The Disconnected Car and Yi Jian, are all called fiction, yet their style is refined and rarely discussed by ordinary people. The actors Huang Xianchuo and Jing Xinmo performed (a form of traditional opera), subtly satirizing current affairs, but their stories were fictional and though popular among the masses, their original texts were not preserved. By the time of the Song Dynasty, Emperor Xiaozong ordered his attendants to gather extraordinary tales from the people, submitting one each day, known as "storytellers," and the popular narrative tales began to flourish. However, many of the stories were vulgar and crude, further hindered by taboos, making them tedious to read and hardly worth watching. During the Yuan Dynasty, the two masters Shi and Luo greatly improved the art of storytelling with Water Margin and Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which were both extraordinary and profound, leaving no room for doubt. Critics paired these two works with The Lament of Dongyan and The West Chamber, calling them the "Four Great Classics," a truly magnificent achievement. In the Ming Dynasty, with the flourishing of cultural refinement, authors became highly competitive. Whether it was grand imperial works or folk histories, many stood out through the ages, and the storytelling tradition also developed into a specialized art. Yet The Golden Basin was criticized for promoting lewdness, while Journey to the West and Journey to the West in the West indulged in fantastical imagination, depicting ghosts and monsters without regard for moral teachings. What use is there in endless tales that neglect propriety? The studio of Mo Han Zhai supplemented The Exorcism of the Monster, employing exquisite craftsmanship without losing its essence, placing it between the level of Water Margin and Romance of the Three Kingdoms. As for the Three Words—All That Glitters Is Not Gold, Wise World, and Awakening World—they vividly depict the myriad aspects of human life, presenting joys and sorrows in a way that is both novel and shocking. Yet when the curtain falls, the music returns to the theme of moral refinement. The master of the Empty Pavilion Studio, using his wit, created Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, a work that required great effort to obtain and is well worth discussing. Combined, these two collections total over two hundred works, making them vast and difficult to fully appreciate. Moreover, the selections were made to be comprehensive, so how could every story be truly extraordinary? Just as a printing press produces countless copies, even in an era of excellence, there must be a few mediocre works. I propose to select the best hundred chapters and have them reprinted to create a grand collection, and it seems that Bao Weng Lao Ren shared my sentiment, selecting forty works to name The Marvels of Ancient and Modern Times.
The mirage over the sea and the fiery mountains may seem extraordinary, but since they are not witnessed by the senses, they remain like the "ice" (a metaphor for things beyond comprehension). Thus, the true marvels of the world lie not in the extraordinary but in the ordinary. Benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom are called "common hearts"; loyalty, filial piety, chastity, and heroism are called "common actions"; good and evil retribution is called "common principles"; and sages, heroes, and the virtuous are called "common people." Yet common hearts are rarely preserved, common actions are seldom practiced, common principles are seldom seen, and common people are seldom encountered. Thus, we are astonished and speak of them. Those who hear may weep or sigh, rejoice or be stunned. The good are moved to encouragement, while the wicked feel shame and alarm, all contributing to the beauty of moral teachings. Therefore, what moves us most to marvel is what teaches us the most common virtues. How can I know that the concerns of the common people are not as important as those of the court, or that folk tales do not align with official histories? To view them as tales of sword-swallowing and fire-spitting or winter thunder and summer ice is to lead people into confusion, utterly pointless. I hope that those who read fiction will take this into consideration.
Written by the laughing flower owner of Suzhou