Ling Mengchu

Ling Mengchu (1580–1644), courtesy name Xuanfang and style name Chucheng, also known by the sobriquet Jikongguan Zhuren, was a native of Wucheng in Zhejiang (present-day Huzhou). A Ming dynasty man of letters, novelist, dramatist and woodblock-printing publisher, he repeatedly failed the civil examinations and during the Chongzhen reign served as assistant magistrate of Shanghai County and as assistant prefect of Xuzhou. Ling is best known for his vernacular short-story collections Slapping the Table in Amazement (First Series) and (Second Series), which together with Feng Menglong's Three Words are known as the Three Words and Two Slaps, a landmark of classical Chinese vernacular fiction. His stories draw on urban life and folk hearsay, with intricate plots, vivid language and skillful use of coincidence and suspense, reflecting Ming social manners and popular tastes. More than seventy related works are held in the library, showing the lasting circulation and influence of his writings.