Renhaiji 人海記

Renhaiji 人海記 "Records of the human sea" is a "brush-notes"-style work (biji 筆記) compiled during the early Qing period 清 (1644-1911) by Zha Shenxing 查慎行 (1650-1727), original name Silian 嗣璉, style Xiazhong 夏重, later Huiyu 悔余, style Tashan 他山, Zhatian 查田, Yanbo Diaotu 煙波釣徒 or Zha Chubai 查初白. His ancestors hailed from Wuyuan 婺源 in the prefecture of Huizhou 徽州, but he was born in Haining 海寧, Zhejiang. Zha was a famous poet and the author of the books Wuhou lun 武侯論, Tashan shichao 他山詩鈔 and Jingyetang shiji 敬業堂詩集.

The title "human sea" is a metaphor for the imperial capital Beijing, referring to Zha Shenxing's thirty years spent there studying and serving as an official. During his time living in the capital, he casually recorded what he saw and heard, eventually organising these notes into the present book. The work of 2 juan describes Beijing's local customs, scenery, historical sites and historical lore.

The Renhaiji was often published together with similar works on life in the capital, such as Dijing suishi jisheng 帝京歲時紀勝 by Pan Rongbi 潘榮陛 (fl. 1758), as a source documenting the old appearance and customs of Beijing (Beijing Guji Chubanshe 北京古籍出版社 2001). Material from the book was also reflected in later works, including the Bencao gangmu shiyi 本草綱目拾遺.

Some passages are copied from earlier works, with sources explicitly identified, such as Chang'an kehua 長安客話 by Jiang Yikui 蔣一葵 (juren degree 1594), Yutang huiji 玉堂薈記 by Yang Shicong 楊士聰 (1597-1648), and Kuaixuetang manlu 快雪堂漫錄 by Feng Menglong 馮夢龍 (1574-1646). These copied sections generally preserve the original wording without editing or abridgment, and mistakes in the sources were not always corrected, inevitably leading to the repetition of inaccuracies. For example, in its account of the early Ming-period eunuch voyager Zheng He 鄭和, the book states that he was Korean and that he travelled four times as an envoy to Korea. In fact, Zheng He was a Hui Muslim from Yunnan who led seven maritime expeditions to the Western Oceans and had no mission to Korea.

The text is part of the series Zhengjuelou congshu 正覺樓叢書 and Zhaodai congshu 昭代叢書. It was printed in 1851 by the Xiaolanghuan Shanguan 小瑯嬛山館 and in 1869 by Liu Lüfen 劉履芬. A modern, stand-alone edition was published in 1989 by the Beijing Guji Chubanshe 北京古籍出版社.