Yutang congyu 玉堂叢語

Yutang congyu 玉堂叢語 "Collected sayings from the Jade Hall" is a collection of stories compiled during the late Ming period 明 (1368-1644) by Jiao Hong 焦竑 (1540－1620), who is famous for the historiographical book Guochao xianzheng lu 國朝獻征錄 and the book catalogue Guoshi jingji zhi 國史經籍志. He also wrote the studies Laozi yi 老子翼 and Zhuangzi yi 莊子翼, two Daoist books, and a critical study on calligraphy, Sushu kanwu 俗書刊誤. Other books by Jiao Hong are Danyuan ji 澹園集, Danyuan xuji 澹園續集, Jiaoshi bicheng 焦氏筆乘 and Jiaoshi leilin 焦氏類林.

The Yutang congyu, with a length of 8 juan, is organised according to the classification principles of the Jiaoshi leilin. The work follows the famous model of Liu Yiqing's 劉義慶 (403-444) Shishuo xinyu 世說新語, recording anecdotes and institutional lore of the literary elite of the Ming dynasty, particularly members of the Hanlin Academy 翰林院, as well as notable sayings and exemplary deeds of earlier figures. Its contents range from moral conduct and literary talent to moral failings and personal enmities, and are divided into a total of fifty-four categories. The structure is concise and well ordered, and is in fact superior to works such as Heshi yulin 何氏語林 by He Liangjun 何良俊 (1506-1573) and Yujian zunwen 玉劍尊聞 by Liang Weishu 梁維樞 (1587-1662).

The book is also notable for its extensive and careful citation of sources, with references clearly indicated, many of the cited works are otherwise lost. As a result, it has played an important role in preserving anecdotal historical materials of the Ming dynasty.

Among the topics recorded are Ye Qi's 葉淇 (1426-1501) salt administration reforms, the policy of transporting grain to frontier regions in exchange for official titles. Zhou Chen's 周忱 (1380-1453) establishment of famine-relief granaries during his tenure as Minister of Revenue (hubu 戶部), the exploitation of the populace through rent increases on estates owned by imperial relatives and meritorious families; the indulgence of Yang Shiqi's 楊士奇 (1365-1444) son, who tyrannized local communities, and the extravagant lifestyles of other persons of the local gentry.

All these accounts provide valuable reference material for the study of the history of the Ming dynasty.

Since the book focuses primarily on the Hanlin Academy and its literary officials, it provides especially detailed and relatively systematic accounts of officially commissioned writings of the Ming period and the activities of civil officials. For example, it offers accounts of several scholar-officials involved in the compilation of the encyclopaedia Yongle dadian 永樂大典.

The work also recounts that during the Hongwu reign-period 洪武 (1368-1398), the court ordered Mashayihei 馬沙亦黑 (fl. 1379), and Muhammand (Mahama 馬哈麻, late 14th cent.) to translate the astronomical treatise from the Islamic regions, Tianfang lishu 天方曆書, and further instructed the Hanlin lecturer Huo Yuanjie 火原潔 (fl. 1382) to compile the "dictionary" Huayi yiyu 華夷譯語. This work rendered foreign languages into Chinese and comprehensively covered fields such as astronomy, geography, human affairs, material objects, clothing, food, and utensils. In addition, the Yuan mishi 元秘史 "Secret history of the Mongols" was consulted to standardise written forms and harmonise phonetic transcriptions. These records are of considerable value for studying both the compilation process of important books and the history of Sino-foreign contacts.

As for the anecdotes concerning Hanlin literati and the informal stories of scholars recorded in the book, they are in fact less valuable than the materials it preserves on cultural history. Thus, the book effectively constitutes a minor history of personnel within the inner court and the academy.

An edition was printed in 1618 at Manshan Studio 曼山館. A modern photoreprint based on the original edition has been published by the Shanghai Guji Shudian 上海古籍書店.