Guǎngzhōu jì 廣州記
Records of Guangzhou by 裴淵 (Péi Yuān, fl. Eastern Jin) and 顧微 (Gù Wēi, fl. Eastern Jin) — zhuàn 撰
About the work
A fragmentary geographic record of Guǎngzhōu 廣州 (modern Guangdong, centered on Canton / Guangzhou city). The KRP text title header reads simply “廣州記” without an authorial prefix, but medieval encyclopedic citations distinguish between a Guǎngzhōu jì by Péi Yuān 裴淵 and one by Gù Wēi 顧微, both of the Eastern Jin period. The KRP compilation likely draws on both versions. The text is cited in Tang-Song encyclopedias including Tàipíng yùlǎn 太平御覽.
Abstract
The two surviving passages cover:
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The Five Rams legend 五羊: The ceiling beams of the Guangzhou government hall are painted with five rams, each accompanied by a grain-bag hung from its neck. The text explains: “In former times, Gāo Gù 高固 was chancellor to the Chǔ king. Five rams carrying grain in their mouths gathered in the Chǔ court, hence their image was painted as an auspicious omen. During the Warring States period, Guangzhou belonged to Chǔ.” This is one of the earliest attested versions of the founding legend of Guangzhou — the “Five Rams” (wǔ yáng 五羊) that remain the city’s emblem today.
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Mǎ’ān Ridge 馬鞍崗 (north of Guangzhou city): “In the Qin period, a geomancer declared that the south had a ‘Son of Heaven’s vapor’ (tiān zǐ qì 天子氣). The First Emperor dispatched people to cut this ridge to suppress it; blood came out of the ground, and the cut marks are still visible.” A standard legend of Qin geomantic suppression of auspicious local terrain, attested in multiple geographic records for South China.
The text is notable for preserving the earliest datable literary version of the Five Rams founding legend of Guangzhou, a myth central to Guangdong regional identity.
Translations and research
No substantial secondary literature located.
Links
- ctext.org search: https://ctext.org/search.pl?if=en&search=廣州記