Kai-Tian chuanxin ji 開天傳信記

Kai-Tian chuanxin ji 開天傳信記 „True accounts from the Kaiyuan and Tianbao reign-periods“, also called Kai-Tian chuanxin lu 開天傳信錄 or briefly Chuanxinji 傳信記, with a length of 1 juan, is a collection of stories compiled during the late Tang period by Zheng Qi鄭棨 (d. 899), courtesy name Yunwu 蘊武, from Yingyang 滎陽 in the prefecture of Zhengzhou 鄭州. Having obtained the jinshi degree, he was made regional inspector (cishi 刺史) of Luzhou 廬州, 遷右散騎常侍。昭宗時擢為禮部侍郎，同中書門下平章事. Emperor Zhaozong 昭宗 then appointed him Counsellor-in-Chief. Known for his sense of humour, he ceased making jokes after assuming this prestigious office, but he died three months into his term. The book contains thirty-two entries, each recounting stories said to have taken place during the Kaiyuan and Tianbao reign periods. However, the historical events recorded, such as the story of Emperor Ming of Tang 唐明皇 enjoying himself in the southern suburbs, and Wang Ju 王琚 inviting him to his residence to plot the execution of the Wei family 韋氏, contain inaccuracies and should not be fully trusted. Other accounts, such as the emperor’s dream of the Goddess of the Moon (yueshen 月神) at Huayin 華陰, visiting her palace (yue 月宮), the story of Luo Gongyuan 羅公遠 turning invisible, and Ye Fashan 葉法善 using talismans, involve supernatural tales that deviate from proper classical standards and are likewise not worth adopting. The book mixes historical events with legends, and its reliable information is even less than that found in Zheng Chuhui’s 鄭處誨 Minghuang zalu 明皇雜錄. Yet later generations have frequently cited it as factual tradition. The text is found in the series Siku quanshu 四庫全書, Baichuan xuehai 百川學海, Shuofu 說郛 (Wanwei Shantang 宛委山堂 edition), Baoyantang miji 寶顏堂秘笈, Lidai xiaoshi 歷代小史, Gujin shuobu congshu 古今說部叢書, Tangren shuohui 唐人說薈, Tangdai congshu 唐代叢書, Xuejin taoyuan 學津討源, Congshu jicheng chubian 叢書集成初編, Shuoku 說庫 and, in parts, in the Jiu xiaoshuo 舊小說. In 1985, the Shanghai Guji Press 上海古籍出版社 published the text as part of a collection called Kaiyuan Tianbao yishi shi zhong 開元天寶遺事十種.