Sài Huālíng 賽花鈴
Surpassing the Flower Bell by 白雲道人 Báiyún Dàorén (撰)
About the work
Sài Huālíng 賽花鈴 is a Qīng-dynasty romance-chivalric novel (cáizǐ jiārén 才子佳人 / xiá 俠 hybrid) in 16 huí 回, attributed to the pseudonymous author 白雲道人 Báiyún Dàorén (White Cloud Daoist). The text runs to approximately 10,432 lines in the Kanripo edition and is complete. No further biographical information on the author has been located.
Tiyao
No tiyao found in source.
Abstract
The novel opens with two poems in praise of swordsmanship (bǎojiàn xíng 寶劍行), establishing its dual allegiance to the romance and martial-arts traditions. The title Sài Huālíng (Surpassing the Flower Bell) likely refers to the heroine or to a prized object around which the plot revolves. The narrative involves a loyal official and talented scholar threatened by powerful villains, aided by chivalric figures (xiákè 俠客) and Buddhist supernatural guardians. An opening anecdote about the Song general Wén Yànbó 文彥博 being protected by a divine multi-eyed spirit establishes the theme of heavenly assistance to the virtuous.
The 16-chapter structure encompasses: the hero’s encounters in a temple setting (chaps. 1, 5); a village raid and militia conflict (chap. 2); a literary examination scene (chap. 3); romantic correspondence (chaps. 4, 6); a chivalric rescue (chap. 9); conflict with a court villain whose machinations lead to the hero’s exile and banishment (chap. 10); a widow’s martyrdom (chap. 12); chivalric redress and military victory (chap. 13); and a final imperial recall and triple marriage denouement (chap. 16: 賜環詔一朝聯三媛, “An imperial amnesty decree unites three ladies in one morning”). This happy resolution pattern — exile, vindication, polygamous reunion — is entirely typical of mid-Qīng cáizǐ jiārén fiction.
The pseudonym Báiyún Dàorén 白雲道人 (White Cloud Daoist) is unidentified; it may mask a lower-degree holder or professional storyteller/writer. The novel has attracted no modern scholarly attention. Its dating to the Qīng dynasty is certain from context; more precise dating within the dynasty is not possible from internal evidence alone. A mid-to-late Qīng date (1820–1900) is a reasonable estimate.
Translations and research
No substantial secondary literature located.
Links
- Catalog meta:
data/catalogs/meta/KR4k.yamls.v. KR4k0214