Gems of Beautiful Prose in Every Generation (Revised Edition)

Author: Gu Zijing et al
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-09-01
Features: This book selects four hundred ancient Chinese short prose pieces. These works are exquisite treasures from the pre-Qin period to the late Qing Dynasty. Each selected prose piece is within two hundred characters, with no excerpts from longer works, hence the title "Bai Zi" (meaning "hundred words"). Each piece showcases the author's independent and perfect conception. With different perspectives, varied structures, diverse sources, and distinctive writing styles, the overall collection presents a vibrant aesthetic appeal. We believe these short pieces are beneficial for cultivating temperament, enhancing knowledge, entertaining emotions, and inspiring aesthetic thoughts. These works, with their novel and lively ideas and exquisite writing, can all be called "beautiful prose." The book is titled "Bai Zi Mei Wen Cui Zhen" (A Collection of Beautiful Prose Pieces from Various Dynasties), derived from this understanding.
After each selected work, there are annotations and analyses. We strive to make the annotations simple and clear, facilitating readers' accurate understanding of the original text. The analyses are as close as possible to the main themes of the original text, with each analysis limited to five hundred characters, and including insights from the annotators. The analyses are also crafted to be vivid and engaging, with diverse styles: after reading, readers may feel a sense of "shared insights," experience the joy of "enlightened understanding," or even be inspired to question and debate. In summary, if the ancient short prose and our annotations and analyses are like small pebbles that stir ripples in readers' hearts, that would be our greatest satisfaction.