Huangshi 荒史

Huangshi 荒史 "History of the remote past" is a history of the mythological origins written by the Ming-period 明 (1368-1644) scholar Chen Shiyuan 陳士元 (1516-1597), courtesy name Xinshu 心叔, style Yangwu 養吾, Jianghan qianfu 江漢潛夫 or Huanzhong yusou 環中愚叟. He also wrote some studies on Confucian Classics, Lunyu leikao 論語類考, Mengzi zaji 孟子雜記 and Yixiang goujie 易象鉤解, a book on divination called Mengzhan yizhi 夢占逸旨, two books on personal names Xingxi 姓觿 and Mingyi 名疑, and the local gazetteers Xiaogang xian zhi 孝感縣志, De'an fu zhi 德安府志 and Yingcheng xian zhi 應城縣志.

The 6-juan long Huangshi begins with the spontaneous origin of the world (kaitian pidi 開天辟地 "opening Heaven and splitting up the earth") in a chapter called Yuanshi benji 元始本紀 "Annals of the primordial origin". It then goes on to the age of Pan Gu 盤古, the mythological creator, and the "two numinosities" (erling 二靈), namely the Celestial Emperor (Tianhuang 天皇) and the Terrestrial Emperor (Dihuang 地皇). The twelve chronicles end with emperor Di Zhi 帝摯. The last part is dedicated to generals and ministers of the mythological emperors, as well as rebels (panchen 叛臣).

As the book is more mythology than history it is described in the catalogue Siku quanshu zongmu tiyao 四庫全書總目提要, but not included in the series Siku quanshu 四庫全書. The text can be found in the Daoist Canon Daozang 道藏.