Zhang Chao

Zhang Chao (1650–c. 1709), courtesy name Shilai and pseudonym Xinzhai, was a native of Shexian, Anhui, and a Qing dynasty man of letters and publisher. He devoted his life to compiling and writing. He edited large collectanea and anthologies such as Zhaodai Congshu, Tanji Congshu, and Yuchu Xinzhi; the last gathers classical-language tales of the strange and anecdotes of persons, and has value both as fiction and as historical material. His own Youmeng Ying (Shadows of Dreams) comments on nature, life, and literature in the form of brief elegant sketches; its concise, evocative language makes it a representative work of Qing xiaopin prose. His writings touch on classical literature, prose miscellanies, and Eastern philosophical reflection, and are marked by a clear, restrained style that conveys personal feeling and reflections on life in short pieces. Public information is limited and few details of his life are recorded, yet through these compilations and writings Zhang Chao exerted a lasting influence on the preservation and transmission of Qing classical tales and xiaopin prose.