Xiāngzhōu jì 湘州記
Records of Xiangzhou by 庾仲雍 (Yú Zhōngyōng, fl. Southern Qi–Liang, late 5th–early 6th century CE) — zhuàn 撰
About the work
A fragmentary geographic record of Xiāngzhōu 湘州 (modern Hunan), by Yú Zhōngyōng 庾仲雍, who also compiled a Xiāngzhōng jì 湘中記 (KR2k0178). The KRP text is distinguished from the Xiāngzhōu jì by Zhēn Liè 甄烈 (KR2k0179) and from the Xiāngzhōng jì by the same author. Sources include the Chūxué jì 初學記, Tàipíng yùlǎn 太平御覽, and the Song-period Yuèyáng fēngtǔ jì 岳陽風土記.
Abstract
The surviving fragments cover four topics:
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Stone Swallows at Línglíng (Chūxué jì, juàn 1; Tàipíng yùlǎn, juàn 9): “Línglíng Mountain has Stone Swallows 石燕; when it rains, they fly, and when the rain stops, they return to stone.”
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Cài Lún’s Mortar (Tàipíng yùlǎn, juàn 57): “In Yìngyáng county 應陽縣, south of Cài Zǐchí 蔡子池, there is a stone mortar said to be the mortar in which Cài Lún 蔡倫 made paper.” An early attestation of the Cài Lún paper-making tradition.
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Qín Shǐhuáng and Jūn Mountain (Tàipíng yùlǎn, juàn 49): “Qín Shǐhuáng, wishing to enter the Xiang region and view Héng Mountain, was met with storm and waves that wrecked his boats. Reaching this mountain he was spared, and named it Jūn Mountain 君山 (Lord Mountain).” A foundation legend for Junshan Island in Dongting Lake.
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Immortality wine on Jūn Mountain (Yuèyáng fēngtǔ jì): The legend of immortality wine on Jūn Mountain, which Emperor Wǔ of Han sent boys and girls to fetch; Dōngfāng Shuò 東方朔 secretly drank it, saved himself from execution by pointing out the logical fallacy of executing him if the wine was genuine.
These passages contribute to the Dongting / Junshan legendary geography and to the history of Chinese technological lore (paper-making attribution).
Translations and research
No substantial secondary literature located.
Links
- ctext.org search: https://ctext.org/search.pl?if=en&search=庾仲雍湘州