Siyouzhai congshuo 四友齋叢說

Siyouzhai congshuo 四友齋叢說 "Collection of tales from the Four-Friends Studio" was compiled during the Ming period 明 (1368-1644) by He Liangjun 何良俊 (1506-1573), courtesy name Yuanlang 元朗, style Tuoming 柘溟. He hailed from Huating 華亭 in the district of Songjiang 松江 close to modern Shanghai. With his brother He Liangfu 何良傅 (1509-1562), he was one of the most famous writers of their days. Yet the two were also eminent collectors of books. He Liangjun owned books with a total size of more than 40,000 juan and had an extra building constructed, the Qingsen Library 清森閣, where he stored his collection of books, paintings and rubbings of inscriptions. The authorities acknowledged his merits to scholarship by granting him the title of clerk (kongmu 孔目) at the Hanlin Academy 翰林院 in Nanjing. He was befriended with Zhao Zhenji 趙貞吉 (1508-1576) and Wang Weizhen 王維楨 (1507-1556), famous writers of the day. His collected writings are called He Hanlin ji 何翰林集. Apart from the 38-juan-long Siyouzhai congshuo, he also compiled the tales collection Heshi yulin 何氏語林 and a book on painting and calligraphy, Siyouzhai shuhua lun 四友齋書畫論.

The Congshuo is divided into 16 chapters, each of them focusing on an individual theme, namely the Classics (Jing 經), historiography (Shi 史), miscellaneous writings (Zaji 雜記), "Masters" (Zi 子), Buddhists and Daoists (Shi-Dao 釋道), prose literature (Wen 文), poetry (Shi 詩), calligraphy (Shu 書), painting (Hua 畫), "In search for the will" (Qiuzhi 求志), "Veneration and instruction" (Chongxun 崇訓), "Respecting life" (Zunsheng 尊生), "Happiness in old age" (Yulao 娛老), "Rectification of the vulgar" (Zhengsu 正俗), "Investigations into literature" (Kaowen 考文), and Lyric-metre poetry and arias (Ciqu 詞曲). An appendix provides additional stories on historiography (Xushi 續史). He Lianjun quotes from numerous ancient sources, adding critical comments (kaozheng 考證) and evaluating them (pinglun 評論). His collection is of great value for the history of the Ming period, both on a central and a local level.

While these critical comments are good, but not of superior value, his evaluations are much more helpful, for instance, the neglect of Han-period 漢 (206 BCE-220 CE) interpretations during the compilation of the Classics collections Wujing daquan 五經大全 and Sishu daquan 四書大全. Many remarks point at historical facts in the southern capital Nanjing which are not mentioned in official sources, for instance, the circumstances of tax collection in Songjiang, the abolishing of "bad customs" of official banquets, the criticism of district magistrates by the local population, or the dependence of the magistrates on the cooperation with yamen runners (zaoli 皂隸). He Liangjun also criticises contemporary events, such as the land reform projects under Hai Rui 海瑞 (1514-1587). The first chapters of his book are just quotations from the Classics and commentaries on them, and therefore of no great value.

The book was first printed in 1563. A supplement with 8 juan was added in the print from 1579. The most critical editions are the complete version in the imperial series Siku quanshu 四庫全書, the truncated version Siyouzhai congshuo zhaichao 四友齋叢說摘抄 (7 juan) in the series Jilu huibian 紀錄彙編 and Congshu jicheng chubian 叢書集成初編, the Yuan-Ming shanben congshu 元明善本叢書 version, and the modern edition in the Yuan-Ming shiliao biji congkan 元明史料筆記叢刊 from 1959 (Zhonghua Shuju 中華書局).