Xī zhēng jì 西征記
Record of the Western Campaign by 戴祚 (Dài Zuò, courtesy name Yànzhī 晏之, fl. late Eastern Jin–early Liu Song, active c. 416–417 CE) — zhuàn 撰
About the work
A fragmentary geographic and historical record composed by Dài Zuò 戴祚 during or after the Western campaign (Xī zhēng 西征) of 416–417 CE, in which Liú Yù 劉裕 (later founder of the Liu Song dynasty) led a major expedition northward through the Central Plains, recapturing Luoyang and Chang’an. Dài Zuò accompanied the campaign and recorded observations of sites along the route. The text is cited in Shuǐjīng zhù 水經注 and in other early medieval sources.
Abstract
The three surviving passages cover sites along the campaign route from Shandong westward through the Central Plains to Luoyang:
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Jīnxiāng Jiāo family mountain 金鄉焦氏山: “Jiāo family mountain in Jinxiang extends several hundred lǐ. There is the tomb of Céng Jùn 曾峻, Han Sīlì jiàoyù (Inspector of the Capital Region). Before the tomb is a stone shrine, and on all four walls inside the hall, in bas-relief on blue stone, are carved images of loyal officials and filial sons from the earliest times, along with Confucius and seventy-two disciples, each labeled with inscriptions in stone.” A valuable early record of Han pictorial tomb art in Shandong.
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Sōnggāo Mountain 嵩高山: “Sōnggāo Mountain has Tài Shì 東太室 to the east and Shǎo Shì 西少室 to the west, separated by seventy lǐ. Sōnggāo is the overall name.” A simple topographic note on the Mount Song complex.
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White Society 白社 outside Luoyang’s Jiànchūn Gate 建春門: “North of the approach road outside Jiànchūn Gate is the White Society, residence of Dǒng Wēi 董威 and others. Two lǐ from the gate is the White Society’s cattle and horse market — the very spot where Jī Gōng 嵇公 (Jī Kāng 嵇康) was executed.” A precious note locating the execution site of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove figure Ji Kang (d. 262 CE) within the Eastern Han capital’s street plan.
The text is a rare first-person witness account of the Henan–Shandong plain’s physical landscape and historical ruins as observed during Liu Yu’s reclamation campaign.
Translations and research
No substantial secondary literature located.
Links
- ctext.org search: https://ctext.org/search.pl?if=en&search=西征記