Caiqinlu 採芹錄

Caiqinlu 採芹錄 "Collection of worthless matters" is a "brush-notes"-style book (biji 筆記) written during the late Ming period 明 (1368-1644) by Xu Sanzhong 徐三重 (1544-1621), courtesy name Botong 伯同, from Songjiang 松江 (today part of Shanghai). He was clerk in the Ministry of Justice (xingbu zhushi 刑部主事), but retired after three years in service because of a chronical disease. In his leisure time, Xu wrote many books, like Yongzhai riji 庸齋日記, Xingu yulun 信古餘論, Lanfanglu 蘭芳錄, Xushi jiaxun 徐氏家訓 or Tianzhenzhai cao 天真齋草.

His Caixinlu consists of 4 juan. It discusses how to nourish and educate the people, the system of education, the imperial examination system, the advantages and disadvantages of government policies, and it evaluates historical figures from the Ming dynasty. In general, the work carefully examines classical sources and investigates the realities of the time. Its arguments are relatively balanced and fair, lacking in extreme or biased viewpoints, and free from personal grudges or flattery. It surpasses similar anecdotal writings by other Ming-period authors.

Xu Sanzhong strongly advocates for policies of land equalization and land limitation, arguing that limiting landholding ensured equal distribution of resources and labor, restrained the wealthy, and helped the poor. Land reform was, in Xu's eyes, the best policy for maintaining order and good governance. He substantiates his argument by referencing historical advocates of land reform.

Other discussions in the book include a critique of Qiu Jun's 丘浚 (1420-1495) flawed maritime grain transport policies, and a rebuttal of Xu Jie's 徐階 (1503-1583) mistaken claim that it was impossible to cultivate land beyond the Great Wall. These, among others, offer outstanding and insightful arguments. Overall, the book's reasoning is grounded, practical, and closely aligned with real conditions - truly the work of a scholar concerned with the practical governance of the world.

The text is included in the imperial series Siku quanshu 四庫全書.