Kuàáo jí 跨鼇集
The Riding-the-Sea-Turtle Collection by 李新 (撰)
About the work
Kuàáo jí 跨鼇集 in 30 juǎn (Sìkù reconstruction) preserves the writings of Lǐ Xīn 李新 (fl. Yuányòu–Xuānhé), Sìchuān jìnshì and Yuányòu-faction figure who broke with his early position to support Cài Jīng. The title takes Lǐ’s hào Kuàáo jūshì 跨鼇居士. Originally 50 juǎn; Sìkù reconstruction preserves 30 from the Yǒnglè dàdiǎn. The Gèngshēnggé jì preserved here documents the 1117 (Zhènghé dīngyǒu) suppression of the Màozhōu Qiāng rebel Wàngliè 旺烈 — a primary source for Sìchuān-frontier military history that is otherwise rare in biéjí. The geography of Màozhōu corresponds to the modern Jīnchuān tǔsī 金川土司 region.
Tiyao
The Sìkù tíyào: Kuàáo jí 30 juǎn, by Lǐ Xīn of the Sòng. Cháo Gōngwǔ’s Dúshūzhì: Lǐ Xīn, zì Yuányīng, of Xiānjǐng. Early passed jìnshì; Liú Jīng once recommended him to Sū Shì — commanded him to compose mòzhú, kǒuzhàn (oral-improvising) one juéjù — instantly composed; end of Yuánfú submitted memorial — duóguān (deprived of office) — zhé (demoted) and zhì (sent) to Suìzhōu — liúluò zhōng shēn (drifting until his end). Today examining the collection’s Shàng Lǐ chéngzhǐ shū — saying “I shamefacedly received Yuányòu dì” (Yuányòu jìnshì); the Diào Ānkāngjùn jūn cíxù says “jiěhè tōngjí” (cap-removed-and-registered) was in Yuányòu gēngwǔ — matches with Cháo’s “early passed jìnshì” account. The Shàng huángdì wànyán shū heads with “Yuánfú 3, 5th-month, 11th-day, Xìngyuánfǔ Nánzhèngxiànchéng Lǐ Xīn etc.” — Yuánfú lasted 3 years to gēngchén (1100) — matches Cháo’s “end of Yuánfú submitted memorial” account. The Xiè xún zī qǐ says “wildly-cast běiquè memorial; long made nánguàn prisoner” — matches Cháo’s “demoted-and-sent” account.
Only the Féng yǐnshì bēiyīn wén says “Chóngníng 2 Kuàáo jūshì for words reached-with-fault, registered-and-confined at Wǔxìn”; the Yíài táng jì also says “early Chóngníng entered Suìníng boundary” — so his zhézhì (banishment-place) was three years after the memorial. Further the Yǔ Féng Défū shǒujiǎn says “returning-to shāngǔ (mountain-valley) almost half-a-year, time-by-time supporting old-mother climbing-high pointing to clouds-and-mist clear-and-vanishing place — was the qiánrì jīguǎn (former-day registered-confined) place” — so [Lǐ] never ended in zhézhì. Again Yǔ Lúnán ānfǔ shǒujiǎn says “respectfully serving at Xīnjiāng; only attached to a zhīyì (branch-county)”; the Shàng Zhèng shūxiàng shū says “Lùchén zhōuxiàn (sunken-into prefecture-and-county) for thirty-some years, only by city-corvée changed-officer.” Other transferring-of-position to-arrival letters — although unable to fix what time, the Gèngshēnggé jì says “Xuānhé guǐmǎo (1123) 8th month — error-favour 二郡 (two-prefectures)” — and there’s Xiè Màozhōu dàorèn qǐ — exactly in this year — so [Lǐ] after rejection-and-deprivation still held office to chéngcuì (deputy) — also never ended in liúluò — all not matching what Gōngwǔ recorded. Could it be that Sòng-people valued nèi (capital) and lightly-regarded wài (provincial) — bù guà cháojí (not hung in the court-register) — that means liúluò?
Xīn was recognised by Sū Shì; early attached to the Yuányòu affair; hence what he memorialised — cí jí qièzhí (words extremely-incisive-and-direct). Yet once subjected to setback, then suddenly changed his early-mind — composed Sānruìtáng jì praising Cài Jīng; Shàng Wáng yòuchéng shū praising Wáng Ānshí; the Shàng Wú hùbù shū even self-blames his qiánrì suǒyán (former-day what-he-said) “got-illness-deluded, said-white-as-black” — his cāoshǒu (held-and-kept) — really not enough to be discussed. Further his Hán Chángrú lùn mocking [Hán]‘s Mǎyì zhī yì having jǔ qiánrì zhī yì, bài jīnrì zhī gōng — what yīn jiě mièLiáo zhī shī yě (covertly excusing the loss of the mièLiáo affair); composing Wǔhóu lùn saying yīng jiéWèi yǐ túcún — what yīn jiě héJīn zhī rǔ yě (covertly excusing the héJīn humiliation) — none not running-after-attaching to the new-faction in hope of advancement. Gōngwǔ only recorded his memorial-and-fault — but did not detail his after-affair — also not yet examining-it carefully.
Only his poetry’s qìgé (spirit-frame) is open-and-bright, without Southern-Sòng’s zhōuzhā (chirping-and-grating) sound. His prose’s xù, jì — sometimes mock-form, sometimes prose-form — though seeming not-fitting-form — yet other compositions also mostly jùnmài kěsòng (handsome-bold worth-reciting) — at the end of Northern Sòng can be called one zuòzhě — needn’t necessarily because-of-the-person abolish [the work]. The Gèngshēnggé jì describing Zhènghé dīngyǒu (1117) suppressing-the-Mào-zhōu rebel-Qiāng Wàngliè affair — what is described of Sòng-troops qièruò (timid-weak) state — almost laughable. Examining its geography — that is now the Jīnchuān tǔsī — but other works speaking of Shǔ affairs have not raised this piān. So this collection is also a rarely-encountered case-of-books. Qiánlóng 46 (1781), 9th month, respectfully collated.
Abstract
Kuàáo jí preserves the writings of an unusually politically-mobile Sìchuān literary figure whose career trajectory exemplifies the late-Northern-Sòng phenomenon of Yuányòu-faction defection. Lǐ Xīn’s early outspoken Yuánfú 3 / 1100 memorial earned him exile; his post-banishment Sānruìtáng jì praising Cài Jīng and Shàng Wáng yòuchéng shū praising Wáng Ānshí mark his political conversion. The Sìkù editors’ moral assessment is harsh, but they acknowledge his literary skill.
The cardinal historical interest of the collection is the Gèngshēnggé jì preserving Lǐ’s eyewitness account of the 1117 Màozhōu Qiāng rebellion of Wàngliè 旺烈 — a region corresponding to the modern Jīnchuān tǔsī. As the Sìkù editors observe, this is one of the very few Sòng primary sources on this frontier-military theatre and is otherwise unrecorded in Sòng historiographical compilations. The biéjí therefore preserves military-historical material of unusual rarity.
The Sìkù editors’ biographical critique of Cháo Gōngwǔ’s Dúshūzhì (which had recorded Lǐ as liúluò zhōng shēn — but the biéjí internal evidence shows he served as èrjùn deputy as late as Xuānhé 5 / 1123) is a model of source-criticism, suggesting that the Sòng tendency to call any provincial-only career liúluò (drifting-and-lost) gave a misleading picture.
Composition bracket: 1090 (jìnshì) through c. 1124. Lifedates not securely fixed.
Translations and research
- Cháo Gōng-wǔ, Jùn-zhāi dú-shū-zhì — original biographical entry.
- No dedicated monographic study of Lǐ Xīn located.
- For the Mào-zhōu rebellion: Sòng huì-yào jí-gǎo preserves only the official report; Lǐ Xīn’s account is the eyewitness witness.
Other points of interest
- The Gèngshēnggé jì on the 1117 Màozhōu rebellion is one of the few first-person Sòng narratives of frontier-military operations in the Sìchuān / Tibetan borderland; its geographical correspondence with the later Jīnchuān tǔsī gives it long-term ethnographic-historical value.