About the author
Lu Ji is an ancient author about whom public information is very limited: his birth and death years, native place, and career are all unknown. Only three of his works are extant, covering topics in philosophy and history. His representative works include Gujin Shuohai and Jianjia Tang Zazhu Zhaichao. Gujin Shuohai is a comprehensive collection of fictional and miscellaneous writings, gathering notes, legends, and miscellaneous accounts from successive dynasties and preserving many rare texts; it has reference value for textual organization and the historical sources of fiction. Jianjia Tang Zazhu Zhaichao belongs to the miscellaneous writings category, containing reading notes and records of things seen and heard, and an unannotated edition also circulates. Judging from the extant works, Lu Ji's writing focuses on compiling documents and miscellaneous notes; his style is plain and practical, emphasizing the collection and preservation of materials. Because biographical information is lacking, his intellectual development and scholarly background are difficult to examine in detail, and readers can mainly understand his writings through the works mentioned above.