Gao Lü's Record of Yan

汤球Nanhai Publication Company · ChinaJun 2024

3.4

Word count: 262 words
Chapters: 2

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Summary

This book is Tang Qiu's reconstruction of Gao Lü's Yan Zhi.

Editor's review

Gao Lü's Yan Zhi, as reconstructed by Tang Qiu, gathers surviving fragments of Gao Lü's history of the Later Yan and related regimes. Tang Qiu was known for collecting and collating scattered historical works from the Jin and Tang periods, and this compilation continues that approach by drawing Yan Zhi fragments from historical commentaries and encyclopedias. Though limited in size, the reconstructed text helps fill gaps left by the standard histories and is valuable both for recovering lost sources and for textual comparison. This new Nanhai Publishing House edition (2024) makes the work more accessible to contemporary readers. It should be read as a collection of source fragments rather than a continuous history, ideally alongside the relevant chapters of the Book of Jin and Zizhi Tongjian. Suitable for scholars of Wei-Jin and Northern-Southern Dynasties history, enthusiasts of classical textual scholarship, and local historians.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Scholars of Wei-Jin and Northern-Southern Dynasties history consulting sources on the Sixteen Kingdoms
Enthusiasts of classical textual scholarship interested in Tang Qiu's reconstructions
Local historians seeking documentary leads on the Murong Yan regimes
Graduate history students comparing sources and writing papers

Not a good fit for

General readers of popular history, as the book lacks continuous narrative
Beginners in classical Chinese, since the fragments are scattered and require textual knowledge
Readers seeking a complete history of Yan, as this is only a compilation of fragments

Reading tips

Read the preface or editorial notes first to understand the sources and arrangement, then proceed to the main text.
Read alongside the relevant annals in the Book of Jin and the corresponding years in Zizhi Tongjian, noting the source of each fragment.
Excerpt fragments by source type and build source cards for later citation in research.
Where textual variants appear, check Tang Qiu's original compilation against widely circulated editions and record collation notes.

About the publisher

Nanhai Publication Company China · Founded in 1988

Nanhai Publication Company is a comprehensive publisher known for its literature and arts titles, covering fields such as classical poetry, martial arts fiction, and folk literature. Judging from the more than 1,600 books in the database, the company has released classical poetic works including the Nineteen Old Poems and the Nine Songs, as well as multiple volumes of Huanzhulouzhu's series The Swordsmen of Mount Shu, along with related writings by authors such as Guan Hanqing, Qu Yuan, Zuo Si, and Wang Zhihuan. Its publishing character lies in balancing the organization of classic texts with the dissemination of popular literature, placing poetry anthologies alongside long martial arts novels and presenting a relatively diverse literary profile. Public information is limited, and further details about its editorial practices and series planning remain to be supplemented.

版权信息
高闾《燕志》

FAQ

Is this a complete history of the Yan state?

No. It is Tang Qiu's compilation of surviving fragments of Gao Lü's Yan Zhi; the original is lost, and the extant content consists of passages extracted from historical commentaries, encyclopedias, and other works. As a reconstructed text, it lacks the continuous narrative structure of a full dynastic history and should be used alongside other standard histories.

Can readers without a history background understand it?

With some difficulty. The fragments are mostly isolated entries and involve the complex succession of Sixteen Kingdoms regimes and personal relationships, so readers without background knowledge may easily lose their bearings. A basic framework of Wei-Jin and Northern-Southern Dynasties history, or concurrent reading of a general history, is recommended before using this book for source verification.

Who was Tang Qiu, and is his reconstruction reliable?

Tang Qiu was a Qing dynasty scholar known for reconstructing lost histories and miscellaneous records of the Jin and Tang periods; his compilations are important references for studying Sixteen Kingdoms history. He notes the sources of his fragments, making verification possible, but omissions and misattributions can occur, so the original sources should still be checked.

Is it suitable for citation in academic papers?

It can be used as a lead to sources, but citations should note that the text is Tang Qiu's reconstruction and give the specific source of each fragment; it should not be treated as the original text. Verify the cited encyclopedia or historical commentary in a standard critical edition before using it in scholarly argument.

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About the author

汤球 Author

Tang Qiu is a noteworthy author in the field of Chinese classical text compilation, though public information about his life is limited: his nationality, dates of birth and death, and English name are all unknown. Judging from the 22 works recorded in the library, he devoted himself over the long term to recovering and organizing historical materials from the Sixteen Kingdoms and Eastern Jin periods. His representative works include Collected Surviving Chapters of the Springs and Autumns of the Thirty States, Collected Surviving Chapters of the Nine Histories of the Former Jin, and a supplemented edition of the Springs and Autumns of the Sixteen States, as well as recovered fragments of Chang Qu's Shu Li Shu, Liu Bing's Dunhuang Veritable Records, Zhang Zi's Liang Ji, and Yao Hedu's Later Qin Ji. His work focuses on gathering scattered remnants and restoring their original form, providing a fairly systematic textual foundation for studying regime changes and local history in this period. His works fall under categories such as classic works, historical reading, and literary appreciation, and hold both historical value and reading reference significance.