Gǔjīn Qínghǎi 古今情海
The Sea of Love Through the Ages by 曹繡君 (輯)
About the work
Gǔjīn Qínghǎi 古今情海 is a Republican-era anthology compiled by 曹繡君 (Cáo Xiùjūn), collecting anecdotes, short tales, and vignettes concerning romantic love, chastity, loyalty, jealousy, and erotic adventure from all periods of Chinese history. The Kanripo source file is large (over 113,000 lines), indicating a multi-juǎn compilation of considerable scope. The anthology is organized thematically; the table of contents for juǎn 1 (Qíngzhōng Xiá 情中俠, “Knights within Love”) lists numerous short narratives drawn from classical sources and vernacular anecdotes, ranging across historical periods from the Hàn dynasty to the late Qīng and Republic.
Tiyao
No tiyao found in source.
Abstract
Gǔjīn Qínghǎi belongs to the late Qīng and Republican tradition of qíng 情-themed miscellanies, a genre popularized by collections such as Féng Mènglóng’s 馮夢龍 Qíngshǐ 情史 and the later Qíng lèi 情類 anthologies. The format — short illustrative episodes drawn from history, arranged under thematic headings — was common in both bǐjì 筆記 (literary notes) and popular anthology publishing of the Republican era.
The thematic structure of juǎn 1 includes headings such as 情中俠 (Knights of passion), 奇女子 (Remarkable women), and many brief vignettes concerning loyalty between spouses, heroic deeds of women, acts of chivalry in the entertainment quarters, and stories of romantic separation and reunion. Representative items in the table of contents include “云娘” (Cloud lady), “破鏡重圓” (A broken mirror made whole again), “昆侖奴” (The Kunlun slave — an allusion to the famous Tang tale), and “李香假母” (Li Xiang’s fake mother — an allusion to the famous courtesan Lǐ Xiāngjūn 李香君 of the late Míng). The collection thus blends historical anecdote with popular legend.
曹繡君 is otherwise unknown; the name may be a pen name. No biographical data has been located.
Translations and research
No substantial secondary literature located.