Nov 28, 2010 © Ulrich Theobald
Beilizhi 北里志 "Records from the northern village" is a collection of short stories from the Tang period 唐 (618-907) written by Sun Qi 孫棨 (late 9th century), courtesy name Wenwei 文威. The book is only one juan long and was finished in 884. It records, in 15 chapters, stories about the singsong girls (geji 歌妓) of the village of Beipingkangli 北平康里 north of the capital Chang'an 長安 (modern Xi'an 西安, Shaanxi). It is therefore an exciting source for the social history of the urban middle class during the Tang period, and especially of the singsong girls they visited. The Beilizhi also quotes some poems composed by girls and their guests. Some of the guests are even mentioned by name, with some commentaries to clarify their identity.
There are Ming-period 明 (1368-1644) prints surviving in the series Xu baichuan xuehai 續百川學海 and Gujin shuohai 古今說海. In 1957, the Gudian Wenxue Press 古典文學出版社 published a modern edition in a joint version with the texts Jiaofangji 教坊記 and Qinglouji 青樓集.
Sources:
Ba Bingbing 巴冰冰. 2006. "Qianxi Beilizhi Zhong changji de shuxing 淺析《北里志》中娼妓的屬性." Shoudu Shifan Daxue xuebao (Shehui kexue ban) 首都師範大學學報（社會科學版） 2006 (2): 33-37.
Cass, Victoria. 1986. "Pei-li chih 北里志." In The Indiana Companion to Traditional Chinese Literature, edited by William H. Nienhauser, 650. Bloomington/Indianapolis: Indiana University Press.
Dong Ming 董銘. 2021. "Wan-Tang shjing minji: Yi Beilizhi wei shijiao 晚唐市井民妓——以《北里志》為視角." Jingu wenchuang 今古文創 2021 (40): 60-61+67.
Duan Haoran 段浩然. 1981. "Beilizhi zhong de san qu 《北里志》中的“三曲”." Xibei Daxue xuebao (Zhexue shehui kexue ban) 西北大學學報（哲學社會科學版） 1981 (2): 44-46.
Feng, Rui Linda. 2010. Unmasking "Fengliu" ⾵流 in Urban Chang'an: Rereading "Beili zhi" 北里志 (Anecdotes from the Northern Ward)." Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews (CLEAR) 32.
Li Xueqin 李學勤, and Lü Wenyu 呂文郁, eds. 1996. Siku da cidian 四庫大辭典, vol. 2, 2139. Changchun: Jilin daxue chubanshe.
Ma Guoyun 馬國雲. 2014. "Shifeng, shifeng ji minfeng: Cong Beilizhi guankui Tang-mo shehui 士風、詩風及民風——從《北里志》管窺唐末社會." Changjiang Daxue xuebao (Sheke ban) 長江大學學報（社科版） 37 (9): 32-35.
Ning Xin 寧欣. 2002. "You Tang ru Song dushi renkou jiegou ji wailai, liudong renkou shuliang bianhua qianlun: Cong Beilizhi he Dongjing menghua lu tanqi 由唐入宋都市人口結構及外來、流動人口數量變化淺論——從《北里志》和《動京夢華錄》談起." Zhongguo wenhua yanjiu 中國文化研究 2002 (2): 71-79.
Wang Xiaojuan 王曉鵑. 2009. "Shitan Beilizhi de xiaoshuo tezheng 试谈《北里志》的小说特征." Yulin Xueyuan xuebao 榆林學院學報 19 (5): 37-40.
Wang Xiaojuan 王曉鵑. 2010. "Tang-mo Chang'an minsu shenghuo lun: Cong Beilizhi kan 唐末長安民俗生活論——從《北里志》看.“ Shehui kexue jia 社會科學家 2010 (8): 33-36.
Wang Xiaojuan 王曉鵑. 2014. "Beilizhi zuozhe he chuangzuo kaoshu 《北里志》作者和創作考述." Zhongguo Haiyang Daxue xuebao (Shehui kexue ban) 中國海洋大學學報（社會科學版） 2014 (2): 115-120.
Xing Hongli 邢洪麗. 2016. "Xiaohulei yu Beilizhi, Yuefu zalu Pipa de yuanyuan 《小忽雷》與《北里志》、《樂府雜錄·琵琶》的淵源." Zhongguo minzu bolan 中國民族博覽 2016 (6): 190-191.
Zhu Jincheng 朱金城. 1986. "Beilizhi 北里志." In Zhongguo da baike quanshu 中國大百科全書, part Zhongguo wenxue 中國文學, vol. 1, 40. Beijing and Shanghai: Zhongguo da baike quanshu chubanshe.
