Hidden and Visible Realms

Early Medieval Chinese Tales of the Supernatural and

Zhenjun Zhang

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Hardback

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English

Columbia University Press
29 May 2018

Literature: history & criticism; Fiction-related items; Short Stories Fantasy; China; Fairy Tale; Magic; Parallel Worlds; Mythological Creatures, People & Places; Gods; Media Reference; Monsters Fantasy; Ghosts Fantasy

Series: Translations from the Asian Classics

"Chinese culture of the Six Dynasties period (220–589) saw a blossoming of stories of the fantastic. Zhiguai, ""records of the strange"" or ""accounts of anomalies,"" tell of encounters with otherness, in which inexplicable and uncanny phenomena interrupt mundane human affairs. They depict deities, ghosts, and monsters; heaven, the underworld, and the immortal lands; omens, metamorphoses, and trafficking between humans and supernatural beings; and legendary figures, strange creatures, and natural wonders in the human world.

Hidden and Visible Realms, traditionally attributed to Liu Yiqing, is one of the most significant zhiguai collections, distinguished by its varied contents, elegant writing style, and fascinating stories. It is also among the earliest collections heavily influenced by Buddhist beliefs, values, and concerns. Beyond the traditional zhiguai narratives, it includes tales of karmic retribution, reincarnation, and Buddhist ghosts, hell, and magic. In this annotated first complete English translation, Zhenjun Zhang gives English-speaking readers a sense of the wealth and wonder of the zhiguai canon. Hidden and Visible Realms opens a window into the lives, customs, and religious beliefs and practices of early medieval China and the cultural history of Chinese Buddhism. In the introduction, Zhang explains the key themes and textual history of the work."

Translated by: Zhenjun Zhang
Imprint: Columbia University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Edition: Annotated edition
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9780231187169
ISBN 10: 0231187165
Series: Translations from the Asian Classics
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 29 May 2018
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Acknowledgments Abbreviations Terms Regarding Weights and Measures Chronology Introduction 1. The Wonder of Love 2. A Garden of Marvels 3. The Spectacle of Monsters 4. The Realm of Ghosts 5. The Netherworld and This World 6. Animals and Men 7. Anecdotes of Notable Figures 8. Local Legends Appendix Tales Appearing in Other Renditions Works Cited Index

Zhenjun Zhang is associate professor of Asian studies and modern languages and literatures at St. Lawrence University. His books include Buddhism and Tales of the Supernatural in Early Medieval China: A Study of Liu Yiqing's (403-444) Youming lu (2014).

Reviews for Hidden and Visible Realms: Early Medieval Chinese Tales of the Supernatural and

The nearly three hundred miracle tales that survive of Liu Yiqing's compilation offer fascinating insights into China's society and imagination of the late third and early fourth centuries. This complete translation will be eagerly welcomed by all students and scholars of Chinese literature, religion and thought as it is precisely in this period that Buddhism had become part of Chinese life.--Wilt L. Idema, Harvard University Hidden and Visible Realms makes a valuable contribution to the study of Chinese zhiguai Records of the Strange literature. For the first time, Zhang's translation of the Youming lu gives English readers a sense of the marvelous richness of the text's contents and its diverse themes.--Keith Knapp, The Citadel