Tang and Song Legendary Collection

Author: Lu Xun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-11-01
Features: The Tang and Song Legends (8 volumes), compiled and annotated by Lu Xun, featuring 48 representative legends and tales written by Tang and Song Dynasty authors. The first edition was published in two volumes by Shanghai Beishu Book Company in December 1927 and February 1928, respectively. In May 1934, it was republished as a single volume and published by Shanghai Lianhua Book Company. The Tang Dynasty was a peak period in the development of Chinese classical prose fiction, producing many renowned legends and masterpieces, such as The Legend of the Long Love Song, The Tale of Liu Yi, The Tale of Liwa, and The Tale of Yingying. These works not only provided an inexhaustible source of inspiration for later operas and novels but also stand as shining gems in the treasure trove of Chinese literature, holding an irreplaceable historical position. The Song Dynasty authors, inheriting the legacy of the Tang, created legends that were slightly inferior in quality but still included highly readable and widely circulated works, such as The Biography of Yang Taiqing and The Biography of Zhao Feiyang. Lu Xun's selection is meticulous, with careful curation and detailed annotations, and is widely recognized as one of the most distinctive and representative anthologies of its kind in decades. At the end of the book, there is an appendix titled Notes from the Margins of the Fields, written by Lu Xun himself, which provides detailed research and elaboration on the authors' biographies and the origins of the stories. The colloquial translation by Professor Cai Yijiang and Ms. Cai Wanru, emphasizing faithfulness, expressiveness, and elegance, greatly aids modern readers in understanding and appreciating the original works. This translation is published alongside the original work for this purpose.