This anthology presents seventy translated and annotated short essays, or hsiao-p'in, by fourteen well-known sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Chinese writers. Hsiao-p'in, characterized by spontaneity and brevity, were a relatively informal variation on the established classical prose style in which all scholars were trained. Written primarily to amuse and entertain the reader, hsiao-p'in reflect the rise of individualism in the late Ming period and collectively provide a panorama of the colorful life of the age. Critics condemned the genre as escapist because of its focus on life's sensual pleasures and triviality, and over the next two centuries many of these playful and often irreverent works were officially censored. Today, the essays provide valuable and rare accounts of the details over everyday life in Ming China as well as displays of wit and delightful turns of phrase. The open access publication of this book was made possible by a grant from the James P. Geiss and Margaret Y. Hsu Foundation.

Table of Contents:
Vignettes from the Late Ming Acknowledgments Hsiao-p'in of the late Ming: An Introduction Editorial Notes Map Kuei Yu-kuang 1) Foreword on "Reflections on The Book of Documents" 2) A Parable of Urns 3) Inscription on the Wall of the Wild Crane Belvedere 4) The Craggy Gazebo 5) The Hsiang-chi Belvedere 6) An Epitaph for Chillyposy Lu Shu-sheng 1) Inkslab Den 2) Bitter Bamboo 3) A Trip to Wei Village 4) A Short Note about My Six Attendants in Retirement 5) Inscription on Two Paintings in My Collection 6) Inscription on a Portrait of Tung-p'o Wearing Bamboo Hat and Clogs Hsü Wei 3) To Ma Ts'e-chih 4) Foreword to Yeh Tzu-shu's Poetry 5) Another Colophon (On the Model Script "The Seventeenth" in the Collection of Minister Chu of the Court of the Imperial Stud) 6) A Dream Li Chih 1) Three Fools 2) In Praise of Liu Hsieh 3) A Lament for the Passing 4) Inscription on a Portrait of Confucius at the Iris Buddhist Shrine 5) Essay: On the Mind of a Child T'u Lung 1) A Letter in Reply to Li Wei-yin 2) To a Friend, while Staying in the Capital 3) To a Friend, after Coming Home in Retirement Ch'en Chi-ju 2) Trips to See Peach in Bloom 3) Inscription on Wang Chung-tsun's A History of Flowers 4) A Colophon to A History of Flowers 5) A Colophon to A Profile of Yao P'ing-chung 6) Selections from Privacies in the Mountains Yüan Tsung-tao 1) Little Western Paradise 2) A Trip to Sukhavati Temple 3) A Trip to Yüeh-yang 4) Selections from Miscellanea Yüan Hung-tao 2) First Trip to West Lake 3) Waiting for the Moon: An Evening Trip to the Six Bridges 4) A Trip to the Six Bridges after a Rain 5) Mirror Lake 6) A Trip to Brimming Well 7) A Trip to High Beam Bridge 8) A Biography of the Stupid but Efficient Ones 9) Essay: A Biography of Hsü Wen-ch'ang Yüan Chung-tao 1) Foreword to The Sea of Misery 2) Shady Terrace 3) Selections from Wood Shavings of Daily Life Chung Hsing 1) Flower-Washing Brook 2) To Ch'en Chi-ju 3) A Colophon to My Poetry Collection 4) Colophon to A Drinker's Manual (Four Passages) 5) Inscription after Yüan Hung-tao's Calligraphy 6) Inscription on My Portrait Li Liu-fang 1) A Short Note about My Trips to Tiger Hill 2) A Short Note about My Trips to Boulder Lake 3) Inscriptions on An Album of Recumbent Travels in Chiang-nan (Four Passages) 4) Horizontal Pond 5) Boulder Lake 6) Tiger Hill 7) Divinity Cliff 1) Inscription on A Picture of Solitary Hill on a Moonlit Night Wang Ssu-jen 1) A Trip to Brimming Well 2) A Trip to Wisdom Hill and Tin Hill 3) Passing by the Small Ocean 4) Shan-hsi Brook T'an Yüan-ch'un 1) First Trip to Black Dragon Pond 2) Second Trip to Black Dragon Pond 3) Third Trip to Black Dragon Pond Chang Tai 1) Selections from Dream Memories from the T'ao Hut 2) A Night Performance at Golden Hill 3) Plum Blossoms Bookroom 4) Drinking Tea at Pop Min's 5) Viewing the Snow from the Mid-Lake Gazebo 6) Yao Chien-shu's Paintings 7) Moon at Censer Peak 8) Liu Ching-t'ing the Storyteller 9) West Lake on the Fifteenth Night of the Seventh Month 10) Wang Yüeh-sheng 11) Crab Parties 12) Lang-hsüan, Land of Enchantment 1) An Epitaph for Myself 2) Preface to Searching for West Lake in Dreams Appendix A: Table of Chinese Historical Dynasties Appendix B: Late Ming through Early Ch'ing Reign Periods Notes Bibliography Index