Hidden and Visible Realms: Early Medieval Chinese Tales of the Supernatural and the Fantastic

by Zhenjun Zhang (Translator), Liu Yiqing

Chinese culture of the Six Dynasties period (220–589) saw a blossoming of stories of the fantastic. Zhiguai , “records of the strange” or “accounts of anomalies,” tell of encounters with otherness, in which inexplicable and uncanny phenomena interrupt mundane human affairs. They depict deities, ghosts, and monsters; heaven, the underworld, and the immortal lands; omens, metamorphoses, and trafficking between humans and supernatural beings; and legendary figures, strange creatures, and natural wonders in the human world.

Hidden and Visible Realms , traditionally attributed to Liu Yiqing, is one of the most significant zhiguai collections, distinguished by its varied contents, elegant writing style, and fascinating stories. It is also among the earliest collections heavily influenced by Buddhist beliefs, values, and concerns. Beyond the traditional zhiguai narratives, it includes tales of karmic retribution, reincarnation, and Buddhist ghosts, hell, and magic. In this annotated first complete English translation , Zhenjun Zhang gives English-speaking readers a sense of the wealth and wonder of the zhiguai canon. Hidden and Visible Realms opens a window into the lives, customs, and religious beliefs and practices of early medieval China and the cultural history of Chinese Buddhism. In the introduction, Zhang explains the key themes and textual history of the work.

Genres: Fiction, China

304 pages, Hardcover

Published May 29, 2018

Reviews

[Amy H. Sturgis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I could give this a 4.5!

Hidden and Visible Realms is historically attributed to Liu Yiqing and represents one of the most significant collections of zhiguai, or "records of the strange"/"accounts of anomalies." This is the first annotated and complete English translation of these tales, and it demonstrates not only the depth and breadth of these stories, but also how these tales were heavily influenced by Buddhism (including tales of karmic retribution, reincarnation, and Buddhist ghosts, among other "new" topics).

Translator/annotator Zhenyun Zhang divides the tales into the following categories: "The Wonder of Love," "A Garden of Marvels," "The Spectacle of Monsters," "The Realm of Ghosts," "The Netherworld and This World," "Animals and Legends," "Anecdotes of Notable Figures," and a catch-all Appendix of other stories.

I highly recommend this collection, especially because these tales highlight both the differences in how tales of the supernatural and fantastic differed between Chinese and Western traditions, and also how they shared a profound sense of "otherness." Anyone interested in the development of world speculative fiction will find this to be a treasure trove.

[Bryn Hammond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scholarly presentation of these accounts of strange incidents from the 3rd-6th century.

[Lulu]

c. 425-442