Library of Chinese Classics: Stories to Caution the World

Stories to Caution the World in a four volume hardback set from Library of Chinese Classics. This set is in English and simplified Chinese and is a wonderful addition to any library. This set of Stories to Caution the World was published by the Yuelu Publishing House in 2007 and there are 2057 pages. Stories to Caution the World was compiled by Feng Menglong(1574-1646) and translated into English by Shuhui Yang and Yunqin Yang.

Stories to Caution the World SynopsisStories to Caution the World book
Feng Menglong is the best-known compiler of anthologies of popular literature in the Ming dynasty, including other books such as Stories Old and New. This collection of stories was pivotal in the development of Chinese vernacular fiction. These tales in Stories to Caution the World have been compared to the stories of A Thousand and One Nights. Peopled with scholars, emperors, ministers, generals, and a gallery of ordinary men and women in their everyday surroundings – merchants and artisans,prostitutes and courtesans, matchmakers and fortune-tellers, monks and nuns, servants and maids, thieves and imposters – the stories in this collection provide a vivid panorama of the bustling world of imperial China before the end of the Ming dynasty.

Stories to Caution the World is part of Library of Chinese Classics and there are over 80 books in the series so far. Library of Chinese Classics is a ‘mirror’ format which means that there is a page of Chinese followed by a page of English. The books are bilingual and suitable for Western readers interested in Chinese culture, people learning Chinese and native Chinese readers who want to read an accessible version of the classics. Since their publication, they have been immensely popular and Library of Chinese Classics has also been translated into Spanish, French, German and Arabic.