Shuō Táng Quánzhuàn 說唐全傳
The Complete Chronicle of the Tang Dynasty by 無名氏 (anonymous, 撰)
About the work
Shuō Táng Quánzhuàn 說唐全傳 (The Complete Chronicle of the Tang Dynasty) is a massive anonymous Qīng-dynasty military romance (wǔxiá lìshǐ xiǎoshuō 武俠歷史小說) in three parts totaling approximately 211 huí: the Qiánzhuàn 前傳 (First Chronicle, 66 huí), covering the fall of the Suí dynasty and the rise of Táng Gāozǔ 唐高祖 (Lǐ Yuān 李淵) and Táng Tàizōng 唐太宗; a second part (dì èr bù 第二部, 55 huí), covering the military campaigns of the Zhēnguān era including the story of Xuē Rénguì 薛仁貴; and a third part (dì sān bù 第三部, 90 huí), extending through the Wǔ Zétiān 武則天 era and involving the heroes Xuē Gāng 薛剛 and others. According to Wilkinson (table at §31.2.1), the work dates to the eighteenth century (compiled) and was published in 1783.
Tiyao
No tiyao found in source.
Abstract
Shuō Táng Quánzhuàn is the principal popular retelling of the founding of the Táng dynasty in vernacular fiction form. It belongs to the broad tradition of yǎnyì 演義 (historical romance elaboration) and draws on the accumulated oral storytelling (shuōshū 說書) tradition around the early Táng heroes. Wilkinson (§31.2.1 table) records it as: Shuō Táng yǎnyì quánzhuàn 說唐演義全傳, period of action: Táng dynasty, eighteenth century composition, published 1783.
The First Chronicle focuses on the period from the decline of the Suí dynasty through the civil wars among the eighteen regional lords (shíbā lù zhūhóu 十八路諸侯), the contests at the Jiǎ Liǔ Inn (Jiǎ Liǔ Diàn 賈柳店), and the eventual unification under Lǐ Yuān and Lǐ Shìmín 李世民 (Táng Tàizōng). Its principal hero is Qín Shūbǎo 秦叔寶 (Qín Qióng 秦瓊), the archetypal loyal and righteous warrior, together with a gallery of secondary heroes: Chéng Yǎojīn 程咬金, Yùchí Gōng 尉遲恭, Dān Xióngxìn 單雄信, and many others. The second and third parts shift focus to later Táng heroes: Xuē Rénguì 薛仁貴 and his son Xuē Dīngshān 薛丁山 in the Korean campaigns, and then Xuē Gāng 薛剛 in the struggle against Empress Wǔ. The composite nature of the three-part text suggests the Shuō Táng tradition accreted in stages, each centering on a different family of heroes (Qín 秦/Chéng 程, Xuē Rénguì 薛仁貴, Xuē Gāng 薛剛).
The oral substratum of the Shuō Táng cycle goes back to at least the Sòng dynasty, when storytellers specialized in the tales of the Táng founders. The written text as preserved draws on the earlier Táng cycle novels including the Suí Táng Yǎnyì 隋唐演義 (Suí and Táng romance, 1670s; 1695) by Chǔ Rénhuò 褚人獲, but elaborates the story with much additional folk material. The work is anonymous; its compiler has not been identified. CBDB has no entry for the author.
Wilkinson’s table distinguishes Shuō Táng yǎnyì quánzhuàn 說唐演義全傳 (covering the founding Táng period) from Shuō Táng yǎnyì hòuzhuàn 說唐演義後傳 (covering the Zhēnguān era), both dated 1783. The Kanripo text KR4k0228 incorporates all three narrative arcs (founding, Xuē Rénguì campaigns, and Xuē Gāng/Wǔ Zétiān) within a single file structured as three bù.
Translations and research
- Wilkinson, Endymion. Chinese History: A New Manual. 5th ed. Harvard University Asia Center, 2018, table at §31.2.1 (Military romance novels).
- Hsia, C.T. “The military romance.” In C. T. Hsia on Chinese Literature. Columbia University Press, 2004, pp. 135–170.
- Chang, Shelley Hsueh-lun. History and Legend: Ideas and Images in the Ming Historical Novels. University of Michigan Press, 1982.
Other points of interest
The hero Qín Shūbǎo 秦叔寶 (Qín Qióng) is one of the most beloved characters in Chinese popular culture. The pair Qín Qióng and Yùchí Gōng 尉遲恭 are venerated as door gods (méngshén 門神) in Chinese popular religion, a tradition that arose partly from these fictional elaborations of Táng Tàizōng’s campaigns.
Links
- 說唐演義 — Wikipedia
- Wilkinson table §31.2.1