Chengyiji 乘異記

Chengyiji 乘異記 "A Cartful of Strange Stories" or Chengyilu 乘異錄 is a collection of stories of supernatural occurrences compiled by the Song period 宋 (960-1279) writer Zhang Junfang 張君房. He came from Anlu 安陸 in the prefecture of Yuezhou 岳州, or from Nanyang 南陽, and lived during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong 宋真宗 (r. 997-1022), and was vice director of the Revenue Section of the Ministry of Revenue (duzhi yuanwailang 度支員外郎), and was then promoted to subeditor (jiaoli 校理) of the Hall of Scholarly Worthies 集賢殿. During the Xiangfu reign 祥符 (1008-1016) he was dismissed and exiled to Ninghai 寧海. The 2 juan "scrolls" long book was finished in 1003. It is divided into 11 chapters and included 75 stories. The author was very familiar with Daoist magic and was therefore once recommended to the throne by Wang Qinruo 王欽若. He was entrusted with a review of the vast Daoist section of the imperial library, and took part in the compilation of the Daoist encyclopedia Yunji qiqian 雲笈七籤. The Chengyiji is fragmentarily included in the reprint series Shuofu 說郛 and Longwei mishu 龍威秘書.