Classified Drafts in Seven Revisions

Qixiu Leigao is a collection of notes by Lang Ying of the Ming dynasty. In his preface the author states his purpose: the classics and histories carry the Way and record events, but beyond their great outlines and guiding principles, minute and superficial details are not always fully recorded; therefore men of the brush gather what they have seen and heard, express their inner thoughts, and entrust their aims to unofficial histories and miscellaneous records. This statement points to the book's value: it does not pursue the systematic grandeur of the classics and histories but records observations, examines names and things, and notes miscellaneous facts in entry form, preserving for readers a wealth of knowledge and contemporary observations beyond the official histories. Reading it, one can appreciate the Ming literatus's delight in broad, miscellaneous collection and glimpse how intellectuals of the time understood the supplementary historical function of "unofficial histories and miscellaneous records." The contents are diverse and the entries short, suited to browsing at random as a window into Ming note-writing and the intellectual world of the literati. Note that the structure is loose rather than continuous exposition; readers should approach it in a spirit of reference or casual browsing rather than seeking a single coherent thread.