Xiaoxianglu 瀟湘錄

Xiaoxianglu 瀟湘錄 "Records from the regions of Xiao and Xiang" is a collection of stories compiled during the Tang period 唐 (618-907) by Liu Xiang 柳祥, or by Li Yin 李隱. Both persons are otherwise unknown, except for the fact that Li Yin was an editor in a central government agency (jiaoshulang 校書郎). The book's title is derived from the two rivers Xiao and Xiang, flowing through the province of Hunan.

The original book was 10 juan long, but only a fraction of the 24 paragraphs has survived. Most of these can also be found in other collections. The stories recount supernatural events, such as the realisation of a dream or the magical power of a Daoist master, or they warn listeners to consider retribution for sins in a future life. The literary style of the stories is notable and includes some poems and verses from theatrical plays. The Song period 宋 (960-1279) master Hong Mai 洪邁 (1123-1202), author of the Yijianzhi 夷堅志, already believed that the Xiaoxianglu was the same work as Li Ying's Da-Tang qishi ji 大唐奇事記, an assumption also shared by Chen Zhensun 陳振孫 (1179-1262), author of the bibliography Zhizhai shulu jieti 直齋書錄解題. It remains unclear who credited the text to Liu Xiang.

The Xiaoxianglu is to be found in the series Wuchao xiaoshuo daguan 五朝小說大觀 (only 6 stories), Tangren shuohui 唐人說薈, Guang baichuan xuehai 廣百川學海, Gujin shuohai 古今說海, Shuofu 說郛, Tangdai congshu 唐代叢書 and Congshu jicheng chubian 叢書集成初編. On single story is also quoted in the collection Taiping guangji 太平廣記.