徐珂

Xu Ke was a modern scholar and compiler of note-based literature, though public information about his life is limited: his dates of birth and death, native place, and education are not reliably recorded. Judging from the thirty-nine works held in the collection, his editorial output centers almost entirely on the Qing bai lei chao (Classified Anecdotes of the Qing Dynasty), issued in thematic volumes covering seasons, climate, geography, scenic sites, litigation, remonstrance, admonition, satire, surnames, forms of address, customs, dialects, modesty, frugality, integrity, extravagance, chivalry, eloquence, wisdom, magnanimity, unusual endowments, bearing, and humor. Arranged by category, these volumes collect Qing anecdotes, miscellaneous records, and social minutiae, and have value both as historical sources and as note-style reading; they are often grouped under Eastern philosophy and historical reading. His concise style preserves many everyday details and words and deeds of figures absent from official histories, helping readers understand Qing social life through concrete examples and glimpse the methods and pleasures of traditional classified note compilation.