Kaiyuan, whose life remains obscure, is known only from limited public sources; his nationality, dates of birth and death, and English name cannot be confirmed. Two works by him are currently included in the collection, both titled Record of a Pillow, and are classified under classical literature and Eastern philosophy. Judging from the titles and categories of these works, Kaiyuan's subject matter carries a strong flavor of traditional narrative and philosophical reflection, readily evoking the classical mode of dream records and parables, in which stories convey observations on the illusory and the real, and on the rise and fall of human fortunes. His style may be described as plain and restrained narration bearing ideas, with speculative meaning embedded in the framework of the tale, so that the works combine literary readability with a lingering philosophical resonance. Owing to the scarcity of materials, the exact character of Kaiyuan and his writings awaits further documentary evidence and should not be hastily judged.
