Shuyiji 述異記

Shuyiji 述異記 "Tales of strange matters" is a collection of ancient novellas and stories of strange events. There are actually two books of this title, one written by Zu Chongzhi 祖沖之 (429-500) during the Southern Qi period 南齊 (479-502), and one by Ren Fang 任昉 (460-508) during the Liang period 梁 (502-557).

Zu Chongzhi's book was 10 juan long and has only survived in fragments that were collected in Lu Xun's 魯迅 (1881-1936) Gu xiaoshuo gouchen 古小說鉤沉. In ancient encyclopaedias like the Taiping guangji 太平廣記, quotations from the Shuyiji can often not be attributed to the one or the other of the two books because no author is mentioned. Although Ren Fang's book is preserved, the completeness of the transmitted text cannot be assured, so that the reader remains in doubt whether a particular fragment belonged to Zu's or to Ren's book.

Some of the stories collected by Lu Xun are also to be found in Ren Fang's surviving book, except some different wordings. Some are also identical with stories in the book Bowuzhi 博物志.

The Shuyiji of Zu Chongzhi includes numerous ghost stories, as well as novellas with historical content and stories of real life. It is fascinatinig that it also provides information about the flourishing of Daoism and Buddhism in Southern China during the 5th century.

Ren Fang's Shuyiji is 2 juan long and is first mentioned in the bibliography Chongwen zongmu 崇文總目 from the Song period 宋 (960-1279). It is doubtful whether Ren Fang was the real author of such a book. Still, the Tang-period 唐 (618-907) encyclopaedia Chuxueji 初學記 quotes from Ren's book, at least in the critical edition by Yan Kejun 嚴可均 (1762-1843) and Lu Xinyuan 陸心源 (1838-1894). The name Ren Fang is mentioned in the preface, written by an unknown author. The title of the book is rendered as Xin shuyiji 新述異記 "New tales of strange matters". Some of the stories are clearly dated after the death of Ren Fang, so that it must be assumed that the received version has been subject to revision or an enlargement process.

The stories narrated in Ren Fang's Shuyiji talk of immortals and deities, strange beasts and spirits, but also give insight into the geography of China, the ruins of essential places of the past, historical events, natural disasters, and transformations.

The oldest surviving print of Ren Fang's Shuyiji dates from the Southern Song period 南宋 (1127-1279). It is included as a facsimile in the series Sui'an congshu 隨庵叢書. Ren Fang's Shuyiji is transmitted in two different versions, one included in the series Han-Wei congshu 漢魏叢書, Shuoku 說庫, Longwei mishu 龍威秘書 and Baizi quanshu 百子全書, and the other in the series Baihai 稗海. TThe difference of these two versions lies in the arrangement of the 305 stories and a different wording in several places. The text is also included in the Siku quanshu 四庫全書, Shuofu 說郛, Wuchao xiaoshuo 五朝小說 and Gujin shuobu congshu 古今說部叢書.