Chénliú zhì 陳留志

Chenliu Gazetteer

Anonymous

About the work

A tiny fragment of a local gazetteer of the Chénliú 陳留 region (eastern Henan), distinct from the Chénliú fēngsú zhuàn (KR2k0164) despite the overlapping geographic scope. Only one passage survives, describing administrative geography and landscape features in the Chenliu area.

Abstract

The sole surviving passage notes that Chénliú 陳留 contained a Língshu township (陵樹鄉), north of which lay a lake; within the lake was a “Heaven-Wood Garden” (天木苑圃) and a Qín-dynasty imperial stable (秦樂廄), where the Han emperors kept and trained fierce beasts (馴養猛獸). This note associates the Chenliu area with both Qin-period royal infrastructure and Han imperial use of the region, consistent with Chenliu’s importance as an administrative center throughout the Han empire.

The Chénliú zhì is not securely attested in any pre-Tang bibliography and author is unknown. The content and citation style suggest a Wei-Jin or Southern Dynasties composition.

Translations and research

No substantial secondary literature located.