Daily life for the common people of china 1850 to 1950 understanding chaoben culture ronald suleski

Daily Life for the Common People of China 1850 to 1950 Understanding Chaoben Culture

Ronald Suleski

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publishedfortheinstituteforchinesestudies, universityofoxford

Editedby

MicahMuscolino(UniversityofOxford) volume39

Thetitlespublishedinthisseriesarelistedatbrill.com/chs

ofChina,1850to1950

Understanding Chaoben Culture

By RonaldSuleski

Thisisanopenaccesstitledistributedunderthetermsoftheprevailingcc-by-ncLicense atthetimeofpublication,whichpermitsanynon-commercialuse,distribution,and reproductioninanymedium,providedtheoriginalauthor(s)andsourcearecredited.

Anelectronicversionofthisbookisfreelyavailable,thankstothesupportoflibraries workingwithKnowledgeUnlatched.Moreinformationabouttheinitiativecanbefoundat www.knowledgeunlatched.org.

CoverImage:ChaobenCovers.Photobyauthor.

LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData

Names:Suleski,RonaldStanley,author.

Title:DailylifeforthecommonpeopleofChina,1850to1950:understanding Chaobenculture/ByRonaldSuleski.

Description:Leiden;Boston:Brill,[2018]|Series:Chinastudies;volume39| Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.

Identifiers:lccn2018010088(print)|lccn2018035488(ebook)| isbn9789004361034(ebook)|isbn9789004361027(hardback:alk.paper)

Subjects:lcsh:China–Sociallifeandcustoms–1644–1912.|China–Sociallifeand customs–1912–1949.|China–Sociallifeandcustoms–1949–1976.

Classification:lccds754.14(ebook)|lccds754.14.s852018(print)| ddc951.03–dc23

lcrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2018010088

TypefacefortheLatin,Greek,andCyrillicscripts:“Brill”.Seeanddownload:brill.com/brill-typeface.

issn1570-1344

isbn978-90-04-36102-7(hardback)

isbn978-90-04-36103-4(e-book)

Copyright2018byRonaldSuleski.PublishedbyKoninklijkeBrillnv,Leiden,TheNetherlands. KoninklijkeBrillnvincorporatestheimprintsBrill,BrillHes&DeGraaf,BrillNijhoff,BrillRodopi, BrillSense,HoteiPublishing,mentisVerlag,VerlagFerdinandSchöninghandWilhelmFinkVerlag. KoninklijkeBrillnvreservestherighttoprotectthepublicationagainstunauthorizeduseandtoauthorize disseminationbymeansofoffprints,legitimatephotocopies,microformeditions,reprints,translations,and secondaryinformationsources,suchasabstractingandindexingservicesincludingdatabases.Requestsfor commercialre-use,useofpartsofthepublication,and/ortranslationsmustbeaddressedtoKoninklijke Brillnv.

Thisbookisprintedonacid-freepaperandproducedinasustainablemanner.

Dedicatedto JonghyunLee 李鍾玄 and HisExcellencytheJadeEmperor YuhuangDadi 玉皇大帝

Contents

Acknowledgments xi

ListofFigures xiv

Introduction 1

1ContextualizingChaoben:OnthePopularManuscriptCultureofthe LateQingandRepublicanPeriodinChina 11

2ApologiainChaoben 65

3WrittenintheMargins:ReadingintoTexts 110

4TeacherXu:EnteringaClassroominLateQingChina 143

5AQingDynastyAstrologer’sPredictionsfortheFuture 173

6ConstructingtheFamilyinRepublicanChina:Shandong1944 199

7Mr.BaiandMr.QianEarnTheirLiving:ConsideringTwoHandwritten NotebooksofMatchingCoupletsfromChinaintheLateQingand EarlyRepublic 226

8TheTroublesomeGhosts:Part1 273

9TheTroublesomeGhosts:Part2 327

10ConcludingRemarks 358

Appendixa.AListof ChaobenintheAuthor’sPersonalCollection UsedinThisStudy 369

Appendixb.VariousCategoriesof ChaobenNotDiscussedinthe Text 398

Appendixc.KoreanandJapaneseChaoben 411 Appendixd.FullTranslationof FiftyDaystoEncountertheFive Spirits 417 Bibliography 431 Index 447

Acknowledgments

Manypeoplehavehelpedmeinpreparingthisstudy.Theyhaveoffered insights,answeredspecificquestions,andprovidedsuggestedtranslations. Itakefinalresponsibilityfortheinformationpresentedinthisbook,butI ampleasedtogratefullyacknowledgeassistancefrommanycolleaguesand friends.

Myfirst“teacher”inlearninghowtounderstandchaobenwasHeZhaohui 何 朝暉.Wemetin2006,whenhejoinedtheFairbankCenterforChineseStudies atHarvardasapostdoctoralfellow.Heservedasaspecialistinrarebooksatthe PekingUniversityLibraryandhasbeenteachingsince2008attheAdvanced InstituteforConfucianStudiesatShandongUniversity.WehavemetinBeijing andattheShandongUniversitycampus.Reviewingwithmeanumberof chaoben Ihadbought,hehelpedtoputthosemanuscriptsinthecontextof thetimesinwhichtheywereproduced.Healsopointedouthowvaluable andinterestingthecomments,stories,andpoemswritteninthemarginsas anafterthoughtbythecopyistscouldbe.Hegavemegoodideasonhowto identifythehandmadepaperusedinchaoben.Hewasalwayswillingtolookat mymaterialsandtoanswerquestions.In2009weenjoyedtheexperienceof findinganumberofoldhandwrittenandwoodblock-printbooksinQufu,the hometownofConfucius.Wedividedthetreasureswehadfoundtoourmutual satisfaction.

Mysecond“teacher”wasLiRenyuan 李仁淵.Imethimlaterthatyearwhile hewasworkingonhisPh.D.andwasateachingfellowintheDepartment ofEastAsianLanguagesandCivilizationsatHarvardUniversity.Hewasalso familiarwith chaoben andwasinterestedinthematerialsIwascollecting.He visitedmeafewtimesatmyhomeinCambridge,offeringseveralhoursof excellenttutoringinhowto“read” chaoben bylocatingcriticalpointsinthe text,howtoappreciatetheexpressionsusedbythewriters,andevenhowto becomecomfortablewiththenonstandardcharactersthatoccurredeveryso often.Hecluedmeintotheideathattheparticularexpressionsusedbythe chaoben writerscouldbeseenasexpressionsoftheirsocialstatusandworldview.HereceivedhisPh.D.in2013andisnowattheAcademicSinicainTaiwan wherehecontinueshisfieldworkinthevillagesofFujian.

InordertomakesenseofthewiderangeofmaterialsIwascollecting,I choseafewtopicstoconcentrateoninmoredetail.Ipreparedthatmaterial intheformofPowerPointpresentationsandwroteupafewarticlesthatwere thenpublished.Alongtheway,andcontinuinguntilthepreparationofthis book,Iregularlyconsultedwithcolleagues,specialists,andfellowscholars,all

ofwhomIconsiderfriends.Spacelimitationspreventmefromlistingallof theiraccomplishmentsandaffiliations,asIwouldhaveliked.Inlieuofthat,I askthemtoacceptmygratitudefortheirhelpandherelistthemonlybyname, inalphabeticalorder.

Themanycolleaguesandprofessionalswhohavehelpedmewere:Mark Byington,AdamYuetChau 周越,ChenShi 陳實,DuYuping 杜玉平,DuZuxun 杜澤遜,GeHuanli 戈煥禮,HeJun 何俊,HeWumeng 何無夢,WiltIdema, AlisterInglis,KawaguchiToshiaki 川口敏明,SunjooKim 金善珠김선주,Ronald Knapp,KobayashiTadao 小林忠夫,JonghyunLee 李鍾玄,LiLinxiang 李林祥, LiZhisong 李志松,LinYiping 林一平,LiuXiaoli 劉曉麗,LüShuxian 呂淑賢, NojiKaeko 野地香惠子,OsawaAkihiro 大澤顕浩,QuXiaofan 曲曉范,Paul Ropp,ShaoYunfei 邵韻霏,SunYan 孫嵒,MichaelSzonyi,RobertWeller,Ming Wong(HuangMing) 黃明,YangLiu 楊柳,YuChao 于超,ZhangZhicheng 張志 成,ZhaiWenjun 瞿文君,ZhangWeiqi 張偉奇,ZhangZhiqiang 張志強,Zheng Da 鄭達,ZhouGuixiang 周桂香,ZhouDonghua 周東華,andZhouXuanyun 周玄雲. SinceIarrivedatSuffolkUniversityinBoston,Ihavebeenhelpedbya numberofgraduateandundergraduatestudents.Mostarenativespeakersof Chinese.Theyhavemadeinitialtranslationsofsomematerialandhaveoffered theiropinionsonwordingandusage.MostofthemnowworkinChinaorin theUnitedStatesformajorcompanies.Amongthesecapablestudentsare:Cui Yixuan 催毅鉉,LiDonglin 李棟琳,LiYunjie 李雲傑,NojiKaeko 野地香惠子, BelalSohel,YangXi 楊曦,andZhangYu 張于.

WilliamLeetewasaNewEnglanderwhograduatedfromYaleDivinity School.HewenttoChinaasaChristianmissionaryandlivedtherefrom1913 untilhisdeathin1952.Duringthattime,heoftencarriedaboxcameraand tookthousandsofpictures.Hewasmostinterestedinthecommonpeoplehe encounteredonthestreetsandinthevillages.Hephotographedthemwhile theywereengagedintheirdailyroutinesandactivities.Thephotoscapture thesenseofenergyandtheatmosphereofatimeandplacethatnolonger exist.HisgrandsonWilliamMorsenowoperatesWm.MorseEditions,afine artprintmakingstudioinBoston.Mr.Morseisconservingandrestoringthe thousandsofphotographstakenbyhisgrandfather.Hehasgenerouslyagreed toallowanumberofthesephotostobepublishedinthisbook.Thesetreasures, whichshowusthelivesofChina’scommonpeopleduringtheperiodcovered inthistext,haveneverbeforebeenpublished.Thephotos,appropriatelycredited,appearthroughoutthebook.

AdditionalthanksaregiventotheDavid.M.RubensteinBook&Manuscript Library,partoftheDukeUniversityLibraries.Theyhaveallowedmetouse manyphotographsfromtheSidneyD.GambleCollection.SidneyGamble

visitedChinaseveraltimesbetween1908and1932.Onthefirstvisithewent withhisparentsandhadnotyetgraduatedfromPrincetonUniversity.In subsequentvisitshewasdoingChristiansocialworkfortheymcaandalso conductingsocialsurveys.Althoughheenjoyedgreatwealthbecausehisfather waspartoftheProcter&Gambleconglomerateofcleaningagentsandcooking oils,Sidneywasinterestedinthelivesofthetypicalpeopleheencountered dailyinthestreets.Hetookmanyphotographsoftheseordinarypeopleand thescenesheobserved.

IamgratefulforaGrantfromtheRosenbergInstituteforEastAsianStudies atmyschool,SuffolkUniversityinBoston,tohelpwiththecompletionofthe manuscript.TheGrantwasarrangedbyMariaToyoda,DeanoftheCollegeof ArtsandSciencesatSuffolk.

MythanksgoalsototheeditorsatBrill,whohavehelpedwiththepublicationofthisbook.IntheBostonoffice,theSeniorAcquisitionsEditorforAsian Studies,QinJiangHigley,wasalwayspleasanttoworkwith.TheAssistantEditorforAsianStudies,VictoriaMenson,tookthemanuscriptandmadeitinto abook.Iamalsogratefultothethreeanonymousreviewerswhosecomments providedgoodadviceandhelpfulobservations.

June2018

ListofFigures

1.1 ChaobenCovers13

1.2 XiucaiScholar24

1.3Scribe26

1.4AListofCharacterstoTeachthePeople[Shenqunshunzi 申群順字],Cover28

1.5ATinsmith29

1.6AListofCharacterstoTeachthePeople[Shenqunshunzi 申群順字],Page1,the Motto30

1.7VariousWordsOfferedtothePeople[Kuanzhongzazi 欵眾雜字],Cover33

1.8VariousWordsOfferedtothePeople[Kuanzhongzazi 欵眾雜字],page29, Poems35

1.9VariousWordsOfferedtothePeople[Kuanzhongzazi 欵眾雜字],pages20and 21,SexualMorality36

1.10StreetVendors37

1.11 Fu 符 44

1.12WritingTalisman[Shufufashi 書符法事],Cover45

1.13WritingTalisman[Shufufashi 書符法事],Pages12and13,AffixedPersonal Stamps47

1.14WritingTalisman[Shufufashi 書符法事],Pages20and21,Instructionsfrom theDeities48

1.15RichesBestowed[Qianjinfu 千金賦],Pages68and69,aTeacher’sIncome49

1.16TheRedShore[Hongpu 洪浦],Cover57

1.17Cangue59

2.1AncientTextsExplained[Guwenshiyi 古文釋義],Cover68

2.2AncientTextsExplained[Guwenshiyi 古文釋義],Pages58and59,aStoryOnce Popular71

2.3AncientTextsExplained[Guwenshiyi 古文釋義],BackCoverwithAdditional Comments73

2.4SongbytheWenchangEmperorAdvocatingFilialPiety[Wenchangdijun qinxiaoge 文昌帝君勤孝歌],Cover76

2.5Wenchang[Wenchangdijun 文昌帝君]77

2.6SongbytheWenchangEmperorAdvocatingFilialPiety[Wenchangdijun qinxiaoge 文昌帝君勤孝歌],BackCoverwithanIrreverentStory79

2.7ShortcuttoVocabularyWords[Jiejingzazi 捷徑雜字],Cover84

2.8ShortcuttoVocabularyWords[Jiejingzazi 捷徑雜字],Page53,Denouncing YourOwnBook86

2.9ShortcuttoVocabularyWords[Jiejingzazi 捷徑雜字],Page27,PracticalAdvice Given87

2.10ChantsofRepentancetotheThreePrimes[Sanyuanfachan 三元法懺], Page49,Writer’sApologia89

2.11OntheFoundationofMarriage[ThisEdition]FreeofMistakes[Hunyuanjiang, wushi 婚元講勿失],Cover90

2.12OntheFoundationofMarriage[ThisEdition]FreeofMistakes[Hunyuanjiang, wushi 婚元講勿失],Pages2and3,aProvincialAddress91

2.13OntheFoundationofMarriage[ThisEdition]FreeofMistakes[Hunyuanjiang, wushi 婚元講勿失],Page64,Self-Promotion92

2.14VocabularyListoftheLocalDialect[Fangyanzazi 方言雜字],Cover94

2.15VocabularyListoftheLocalDialect[Fangyanzazi 方言雜字],Page126,Looking DownonThoseWhoDoNotLabor95

2.16VariousWordsOfferedtothePeople[Kuanzhongzazi 欵眾雜字],Page27,Polite Apology98

2.17VariousWordsOfferedtothePeople[Kuanzhongzazi 欵眾雜字],Pages28and 29,Apologia99

2.18VocabularyListinFive-CharacterVerses[Wuyanzazi 五言雜字],Cover102

2.19Six-WordVocabularyList[Liuyanzazi 六言雜字],Cover105

2.20Six-WordVocabularyList[Liuyanzazi 六言雜字],Pages20and21,Total ExhaustionafterHardWork106

3.1AListofCharacterstoTeachthePeople[Shenqunshunzi 申群順字],Page3, CommonItemsforSale113

3.2AFortuneteller114

3.3Damagedchaobenintheauthor’scollection116

3.4Laborers117

3.5CelebratingManySons.InvitationsandMatchingCouplets[Tieshiduilian 帖式對聯],Page98,MatchingCouplet120

3.6TempleFairMarket121

3.7UsingtheWesternCalendarasaGuidetoWriting[YourFortune]throughthe FiveStars[Xiyangdililiangtianchifeixiewuxing 西洋地曆量天尺飛寫五星], Cover123

3.8UsingtheWesternCalendarasaGuidetoWriting[YourFortune]throughthe FiveStars[Xiyangdililiangtianchifeixiewuxing 西洋地曆量天尺飛寫五星], Pages4and5,DetailsabouttheAstrologer125

3.9InvitationsandMatchingCouplets[Tieshiduilian 帖式對聯],Page113,Poemon SeekingWorkbyTravelingabout127

3.10TraininginLithography129

3.11TalkingaboutVocabularyLists[Shuozazi 說雜字],Leaf6b,Travelingfor Work131

3.12YinyangMaster132

3.13InternalandExternalMedicalComplaints[Neiwaikeyankezazheng 內外科眼科雜症],Page167,SimpleTruths135

3.14InternalandExternalMedicalComplaints[Neiwaikeyankezazheng 內外科眼科雜症],Cover138

3.15InternalandExternalMedicalComplaints[Neiwaikeyankezazheng 內外科眼科雜症],Page45,DaoistCeremonies140

4.1Storyteller145

4.2TeacherXu’sClassroominManchuria148

4.3AdvertisementforCopyingServices152

4.4ThreeItemsforMr.Xu[Xushisanzhong 徐氏三種],Cover154

4.5ThreeItemsforMr.Xu[Xushisanzhong 徐氏三種],Page2,Medical Prescription158

4.6ThreeItemsforMr.Xu[Xushisanzhong 徐氏三種],Page101,aFavorite Riddle160

4.7ThreeItemsforMr.Xu[Xushisanzhong 徐氏三種],Page102,Student Names163

4.8ThreeItemsforMr.Xu[Xushisanzhong 徐氏三種],Page103,Favorite Student165

4.9ThreeItemsforMr.Xu[Xushisanzhong 徐氏三種],Cover,ShowingDateof 1920166

4.10ThreeItemsforMr.Xu[Xushisanzhong 徐氏三種],Pages1and2,Bald-Headed Wang167

4.11TranslucentJadeDisk,TrademarkoftheCopyShop168

4.12AnImageofTeacherXu?169

4.13Selling Mantou 171

5.1TheSundayUsedBookMarketinShanghai176

5.2Astrologer,Cover177

5.3Astrologer,Pages2and3,theChartofFate180

5.4BakingPancakes183

5.5Astrologer,Pages4and5,theCharacteroftheChild185

5.6PoorBoysReading186

5.7Astrologer,Pages10and11,astheBoyGrows187

5.8Astrologer,Pages16and17,AdultInteractions188

5.9Astrologer,Pages18and19,LargeForcesEnterHisLife189

5.10ZhouEnlaiasaBoyofTwelve190

5.11JapaneseDestroyerofftheChinaCoast191

5.12Three-AntisPoliticalCampaign193

5.13Astrologer,Pages20and21,theThree-AntisPoliticalCampaign195

5.14Qing-EraFortuneteller197

6.1Hero’sMarket201

6.2TangFamilyGenealogy[Tangshijiapu 唐氏家譜],Cover202

6.3TangFamilyGenealogy[Tangshijiapu 唐氏家譜],Page10,Generational Listings203

6.4TangFamilyGenealogy[Tangshijiapu 唐氏家譜],Page11,aSample Listing205

6.5TangFamilyGenealogy[Tangshijiapu 唐氏家譜],Pages11and12,Two Writers206

6.6TangFamilyGenealogy[Tangshijiapu 唐氏家譜],Page1,TheDeathofWriter No.1’sGrandparents208

6.7TangFamilyGenealogy[Tangshijiapu 唐氏家譜],Page2,DeathofWriter No.2’sParents210

6.8JapaneseSoldiersAttackaPrivateHome211

6.9TangFamilyGenealogy[Tangshijiapu 唐氏家譜],Page13,TheFinalPage213

6.10ToWriteorNottoWrite?215

6.11AScribeinHarbin217

6.12TangFamilyGenealogy[Tangshijiapu 唐氏家譜],Pages3and4,Femalesinthe TangFamily219

6.13ACommercialStreet220

6.14StreetSceneinManchuria221

7.1Mr.Bai’sNotebook[Baixianshengzhichaoben 白先生之抄本],Page9,theStory ofTaigong[太公]230

7.2Mr.Bai’sNotebook[Baixianshengzhichaoben 白先生之抄本],Pages25and26, StudentCalligraphy232

7.3Mr.Bai’sNotebook[Baixianshengzhichaoben 白先生之抄本],Pages41and42, aBoy’sName234

7.4Mr.BaiWritingCelebratoryScrolls235

7.5Mr.Bai’sNotebook[Baixianshengzhichaoben 白先生之抄本],Page18,anOde toSpring238

7.6Mr.Bai’sNotebook[Baixianshengzhichaoben 白先生之抄本],Page14, ExpressingAcceptableSentiments239

7.7Mr.Bai’sNotebook[Baixianshengzhichaoben 白先生之抄本],Page36,Scrolls forMerchants241

7.8LaborersandMerchantsintheStreet242

7.9Mr.Bai’sNotebook[Baixianshengzhichaoben 白先生之抄本],Pages27and28, MessyPages243

7.10Mr.Bai’sNotebook[Baixianshengzhichaoben 白先生之抄本],Pages21and22, CombinedCharacters244

7.11Mr.Bai’sNotebook[Baixianshengzhichaoben 白先生之抄本],Page10,Funeral Inscriptions246

7.12Mr.Bai’sNotebook[Baixianshengzhichaoben 白先生之抄本],Page33, HonoringtheFireGod250

7.13Mr.Bai’sNotebook[Baixianshengzhichaoben 白先生之抄本],Page39,Phrase Writtenin1913252

7.14Mr.Qian’sNotebook[Qianxianshengzhichaoben 錢先生之抄本],Page54,A WeddingCouplet255

7.15Mr.Qian’sNotebook[Qianxianshengzhichaoben 錢先生之抄本],Pages42and 43,ClanTempleScrolls257

7.16Mr.Qian’sNotebook[Qianxianshengzhichaoben 錢先生之抄本],Pages34and 35,ScrollsforShops258

7.17Mr.Qian’sNotebook[Qianxianshengzhichaoben 錢先生之抄本],Pages58and 59,ScrollstoHonorScholarlyAccomplishments261

7.18MerchantRunnersCarryingCopperCash262

7.19AProsperousCommercialStreetinSouthChina264

8.1SecretTextforSummoningtheSnake[Shechuanmiben 蛇傳秘本],Page14, DaoistCeremonyUsingaLiveChicken280

8.2CollectedScriptureoftheDeedsoftheJadeEmperor[GaoshangYuhuang benxingjijing 高上玉皇本行集經],CoveroftheMiddleVolume[zhongquan 中券]286

8.3CollectedScriptureoftheDeedsoftheJadeEmperor[GaoshangYuhuang benxingjijing 高上玉皇本行集經],FinalTwoPagesoftheMiddleVolume287

8.4RepentanceinHomagetoHeaven,Complete[Chaotianchan,quanquan 朝天懺，全券],Cover288

8.5RepentanceinHomagetoHeaven,Complete[Chaotianchan,quanquan 朝天懺，全券],Page2,DetailsoftheText289

8.6AgriculturalMarket293

8.7RepentancestotheThreeOfficials[Sanguanchan 三官懺],Pages2and3, ShowingDates294

8.8RepentancestotheThreeOfficials[Sanguanchan 三官懺],Pages22and23of VolumeOne,ListingOne’sSins296

8.9TheThreePureOnes[Sanqing 三清]297

8.10TheJadeEmperor[Yuhuangdadi 玉皇大帝]298

8.11ChantsofRepentancetotheThreePrimes[Sanyuanfachan 三元法懺], Pages20and21,CallingontheDeityforHelp301

8.12RepentancestotheSupremeThreePrimestoForgiveSins[Taishangsanyuan youzuifachan 太上三元宥罪法懺],Cover305

8.13CelestialLordWhoRelievesSuffering[Taiyijiukutianzun 太乙救苦天尊]307

8.14SpiritGenerals[shenjiang 神將]308

8.15SupremeMorningTextforBecominganImmortal[TaishangXiuzhenchenke 太上修真晨課],Cover312

8.16SupremeMorningTextforBecominganImmortal[TaishangXiuzhenchenke 太上修真晨課],Pages32and33,BeggingtoBeReleasedforaBetterLife313

8.17SutraoftheCityGod,SutraoftheDead[Chenghuangjing,Duwangjing 城隍經度亡經],CoverandFirstPage316

8.18SutraoftheCityGod,SutraoftheDead[Chenghuangjing,Duwangjing 城隍經度亡經],Pages42and43,AskingforReleasefromHell319

8.19PrayerstotheDragonKing[Longwangfashi 龍王法事],Page1andInside Cover322

9.1EightEffectiveFormulas[Baqinkoujue 八親口決],Page19,CallingonSpirit Armies329

9.2ZhongKuiandGhosts333

9.3CaoSuosen 曹鎖森,Pages18and19,CalltheSpiritGenerals337

9.4FiftyDaystoEncountertheFiveSpirits[Wushizhirifengwudao 五十之日逢五道],Pages1and2,DetailofaDay’sEvil340

9.5FiftyDaystoEncountertheFiveSpirits[Wushizhirifengwudao 五十之日逢五道],Pages15and16,ThisEvilFrightenstheHome’sProtective Gods341

9.6PetitionstotheThunderAltar[Fengzhichilingleitan 奉旨敕令雷壇],Page3, ProtectionfromEvil[sha 煞]345

9.7PetitionstotheThunderAltar[Fengzhichilingleitan 奉旨敕令雷壇],Page4, ProtectionattheGate346

9.8IncantationstoSendOffGhosts[Songguichongzhou 送鬼崇咒],Pages13and 14,GhostsoftheFiveRoadsWillCome349

9.9RickshawPullersResting350

9.10TheDingchouSpiritGeneralNamedZhaoZiyu[Dingchoushenjiangming ZhaoZiyu 丁丑神將名趙子玉]351

9.11PanjiayuanAntiquesMarketinBeijing352

9.12JapaneseImageofaGoblin353

9.13BeijingFortuneteller354

Introduction

緒論

Thehundred-yearperiodfrom1850to1950wasatimeofastoundingchangein Chinaandtheworld.In1850,mostpeopleinChinausedoillampsforlight, theyhadneverseenasteamengine,andmedicinewasamixtureofsecret recipesandsupplicationtothedeities.By1950,radioseverywherebroadcast music,news,andstories,andevenruralvillagersmighthaveseenamotion pictureshownoutdoorsonalargescreen.Theaircraftflyingoverheadwere oftennothingunusual,andbusserviceslinkedvillagesandtowns.Forrural peasantsandcitydwellersalike,newmaterialgoodswerebecomingapartof theirenvironment.

Yetduringthosecrucialhundredyears,thevalues,socialcustoms,andperceptionsoflifeanddeathappeartohaveremainedvirtuallyunchangedamong mostChinesepeople.Fromalltheaccountswehave,includingfictional accountsbyChinesescholarsrecallingthattimeaswellasnewspaperreports andphotographsfromtheperiod,theculturalandsocialconstructsinherited fromcenturiesbeforecontinuedtobeappliedandfollowedinmostvillages andcities,usuallywithoutevencosmeticchanges.Theculturalimperatives weresostrongthattheyeasilysurvivedtheintrusionofnewmechanicaland materialobjects.ThetraditionalsocialandculturalmilieuinwhichmostChineselived,especiallythoseinthesmallercitiesandintheruralcountryside, wassatisfyingbecauseithadbeenbuiltupovergenerations,anditsownlogic wasconsistentwithallthesymbolismthathadbeenhandeddownfromearlier times.Thehandwrittenmaterialsthatarethefocusofthisstudyconveyedideas andexpressionsthathadbeeninheritedfromthoseearliertimes.Allthematerialsexaminedhereexpressedassumptionsandvaluesthatdidnotchangein anyperceptiblewayduringthecenturyleadingupto1950.

Duringthatcrucialhundred-yearperiod,ourbestestimatesarethatabout 70percentoftheChinesewerefunctionallyilliterate.Manycouldrecognize somecharacters;theycouldwritetheirownname,possiblythenameofthe villageandprovincewheretheylived,andsomewordscrucialtotheireveryday lives.Butmostpeoplewerelabeledfunctionallyilliteratebecausetheycould notreadabookornewspaperwithfullcomprehension.Inmanycases,even foraletterfromarelativeorarentcontractthatdefinedtheirobligationstoa landowner,theyneededtocallontheservicesofamoreliteratescribeinorder tofullyunderstandthecontentofthewrittenmaterial.Mostofthesetypically nothighlyliteratepeoplehavenotleftbehindwrittenmaterialsthatwecould

©RonaldSuleski,2018|doi:10.1163/9789004361034_002 Thisisanopenaccesschapterdistributedunderthetermsoftheprevailingcc-by-ncLicenseatthetime ofpublication.

usetounderstandhowtheirliveswereorganized,theculturalmilieuthatwas importanttothem,ortheirhopesandfears.Wecallthesethe“commonpeople” [pingmin 平民]ofChina,atermthatisnotderogatorybutexpressestheidea thatthesepeopleformedthemajority.

Thecommonpeopleparticipatedintheworldofwritingthroughthousands ofmenwhohadgainedsomeformaleducationandwereabletoreadandto write.Manyofthemwereaspiringscholarswhohadstudiedinthehopeof obtainingthelowestlevelofformaldegree,calledlicentiates[shengyuan 生 員].Successfulcandidateswerecalled xiucai 秀才 [flourishingtalent].Most ofthesemen,however,werefromnon-elitefamiliesthatcouldnotaffordto payforanyextendedformalstudy.Somedroppedoutofschoolbeforetaking theprovincialexamthatwouldformallyrecognizetheirstudies,andthey oftenbecamegovernmentclerksorscribes.Eventhosewhoobtainedthebasic degreeneededtofindawaytoearnaliving.Mostturnedtooccupationsthat tookadvantageoftheirliteracyandcalligraphy:theirabilitytowrite.

Thesegenerallyliteratemenfoundithardtoenterthesocialstrataofthe financiallysecureortheelite.Theycontinuedtoliveintheirhometownsor asmembersofgeneralsociety.Theyinteractedonadailybasiswiththeilliteratemassestoprovidethereadingandwritingskillsthatevenruralpeasants sometimesfoundtheyneeded.Thesemen,whocouldreadandwrite,worked attheprecisenexusofliteracyandilliteracy.Theybecamefortunetellers,letterwriters,ritualspecialistssuchasDaoistpriests,legaladvisors,elementary schoolteachers,herbaldoctors,governmentclerks,andscribeswhocouldprepareformaldocumentsorwritelettersfortheilliterate.Becausethescribesand scholarswerefamiliarwiththeworldofwriting,thecommonpeopleassumed thesemenhadknowledgeofmanytopicsforwhichreadingandwritingwere required,sotheywereregularlyconsulted.Thescribesandscholarsdressed intraditionalgownsandskullcapstodisplaytheirstatusasliterateindividuals. Theyweretreatedwithadegreeofrespectbythecommonpeople,eventhough peopleknewthatalower-degreeholderoralocalscribewasnotamemberof theupperclasses.Mostscribesorxiucaihadtosurviveonalowannualincome. Theylivedveryclosetothecommonpeople,bothphysicallyandpsychologically.

Thewrittenmaterialsthatthescribesand xiucai scholarsproducedwere requestedbythecommonpeople.Thescribesandscholarsoftensetupatable atalocalmarketoratatemplefair,wherepeoplewouldapproachthem,willing topayforadviceandwritingservicesfromthem.Thosematerials,prepared attherequestofthecommonpeopleandpaidforbythem,wereitemsof keenimportancetothem.Theitemsreflectedtheneeds,concerns,andvalue systemsofthecommonpeople.Theycanbeseenasamirrorofthewaysin

whichsocietywasfunctioningformostpeopleinChinabetween1850and1950. Aswecanseefromexaminingthematerialsthathavesurvivedfromthose times,theywereoftenconsulted,showingsmudgeanddirtmarksaswellas deteriorationofthepaperfromhavingbeenfrequentlyhandled.

Wehavemanyexamplesofthesewrittenmaterials,availablenowadaysin thenumerousantiquesandfleamarketsinChina.Thevolumeofthesematerialsatteststotheextenttowhichthecommonpeopleneededwritingintheir dailylives,eventhoughtheywereunlettered.Fromtheavailableexamples, weseethatthesematerialswerealmostalwayswrittenonlow-qualityhandmadepapermadefromtreebark,bamboo,andsometimesrice.Thequalityof thepapercanrangefromthick,coarsesheetstothin,unbleachedpaper,and oftenthepaperisofthecheapestkindandoflowquality.Itmakessensethat thematerialsrequestedbyunletteredpeopleforsomepracticalaspectoftheir dailylivesandpreparedbyscribesandscholarscontactedatthelocalmarket orfoundinasmallshopwouldbeofsuchmodestquality.Thepaperwassometimesassembledasasmallbooklet,boundwithstringor,forthosetoopoorto affordstring(sincestringcouldbeusedforsewingandprobablycommanded ahigherprice),withcoarsebitsofpapertwistedtomakeasortoftwine.The twinebindings[maozhuang 毛裝]couldbeintendedastemporarybindingsfor aworkstillinprogress,butovertheyears,forthecommonpeoplewhoowned them,theybecamethepermanentbindingofwrittenmaterialpasseddown tothefamily.Thequalityofthewritingindicatesthatsomeofthescholars andscribeshadmuchpracticeusingthebrushandwrotewithagoodcalligraphichand,whileothershadonlyarudimentaryabilityanddidnotwrite handsomecharacters.Theyregularlymademistakesinwritingthecharacters andalsousedpopularizedbutnonstandardformsofcharacters.Suchmaterials thatareboundintoabookletthattranslatesas“copybook”[chaoben 抄本].

Asintherestoftheworld,inChinaforcenturiesbookswerecomposed byhandandcirculatedinhandwrittenformasmanuscripts.Earlycollections inpersonallibrariesinChinaconsistedmostlyofsuchhandwrittenbooks untilthespreadofwoodblock[muban 木板]printingafter600ce.Theword chaoben canalsomean“manuscript,”and,forsomeChinesetoday,itdenotes booksonphilosophyorliteraturecopiedoutinneatcalligraphybyhandon high-qualitybleachedhandmadepaper.Elitescholarswerefondofcopying classicaltextsandphilosophicaltreatisesinsuchamanner.ForsomecontemporaryChinesepeoplewhoremembertheCulturalRevolution(1966–1976),the word chaoben referstonovelsorhistoricalromancesthatcirculatedsecretly inhandwrittenformbecausecreativeliteraturewasdenouncedbythecommunistofficialsasdegenerateand“feudal.”Buttodaythewordchaobenrefers tothebooksstudiedherethatrarelyhaveanythingtodowithphilosophyor

literature.Theycanbemostaccuratelycalled“popularcopybooks”[minjian chaoben 民間抄本],todistinguishthemfromtheelitemanuscriptsheldinuniversitylibrariesandmuseums.Thisstudyusesthemoregeneraltermchaoben, becausethatisthetermusedbyallthebooksellersanddealersatfleamarkets inChinatoday.

Throughoutthecenturyweareconcernedwithinthisstudy,Chinahada wealthofprintedbooksthatcirculatedandweresoldthroughoutthecountry. Manywereinwoodblockeditionsusingcuttingandprintingtechniquesthat hadbeenemployedforhundredsofyears.After1850,lithographybecamea popularmethodofprintinginChina.Booksproducedusingthismethodwere labeledas“lithographed”[shiyin 石印].Otherstylesofprinting,suchasoffsetprintingandmetaltypesetting,appearedinChinabytheearly1900s,but onlybooksproducedusinglithographyfromthelate1800stoabout1930were soidentified;otherwisetheexactprintingmethodwasnotmentioned.Unlike thetraditionalwoodblockprintingtechniques,thenewerimportedmethods dependedonchemicalsandmetal,buttheycouldalsoreproduceolderwoodblockpages,calligraphy,drawings,andphotosandinmultiplecolors.Hundreds ofcopiescouldbeeasilyandrapidlyproducedusingthenewermethods,and asthenumberofcopiesonthemarketincreased,thepriceofeachcopyusuallywentdown.Commercialpublishershadbeenissuingwoodblockbooksin inexpensiveeditionsofpopulartitlestobesoldbothinthecitiesandinthe ruralmarkets.Whenthenewerprintingmethodstookhold,commercialpublishershadafieldday,floodingthemarketwithpopulartitlesaimedatthemass market.

Inspiteoftheavailabilityofinexpensiveprintedbooks,agreatmanypeopleinChinastillpreferredtocopyinformationthemselveswithabrushinthe age-oldmanner.Theywerekeepingalivethetraditionofamanuscriptculture. Theexamplesofhand-copiedbookswefindinthecollections,museums,and antiquesmarketsinEastAsiatodayshowthatChina’schaobenmanuscriptculturewasveryvibrant.ItwasalsopracticedbyKoreansinthoseyears,butit appearsfromexampleswehavethatscholarsinKoreamostfrequentlycopied outalreadypublishedwoodblockeditionsfromChinaofmanuals,encyclopedias,andinstructionsforfamilyceremonies.InJapan,thesamuraielitemaintainedamanuscriptculture,buttheirwritingswerelessinevidenceamong thecommonpeople.InChinamanypeopleseemedtoprefertheinformation inthehand-copiedbookstowhattheyfoundintheprintedversions.

Thereasonsfortheexistenceofanactivemanuscriptcultureamongthe commonpeopleinChinadowntothe1950swereverylogical.Mostofthe scholarsofferingtheirservicestothepeoplehadaproprietaryfeelingtoward theirknowledgeandtechniques.Theherbaldoctor,thelegaladvisor,andthe

ritualspecialistdidnotwanttomakepublictheinformationtheyheld,so thehandwrittennotebookstheykeptforthemselveswereintendedfortheir ownreference,withtheirspecializedinformationtobeimpartedtoothers asnecessary—andataprice.Indeed,onewaytodefinethe chaoben isthat theywerenotebookstobeusedasreferencesbythe xuicai orscribesoffering theirservicestothepeople.Inthecaseofindividualhoroscopes,thatwasa specialtyinwhichone-timemanuscriptscouldcommandafairlyhighprice, becausetheastrologicalcalculationsandhoroscopepredictionswerefocused ononeindividualwhosefuturewasbeingforetold.Incontrast,thescribes andscholarswhowerewillingtodisseminatetheirinformationmorewidely werethosewhowrotepoeticmatchingcouplets[duilian 對聯]extensively usedforceremonialandholidayoccasions,andthosewhoworkedaslocal schoolteachers,becausetheirincomederivedfromdemonstratingtheirskills tothewiderpublic,includingthestudentsandtheirrelativespayingtheschool fees.

Inthepastfewdecades,many chaoben havebeenturningupinantiques andfleamarketsinChina.Thebookletswereoftenthrownoutbyaruralor provincialfamilythatnolongerwantedthem.MostChinesetodaycannot easilyreadthetraditional-stylecharactersorunderstandthegrammarinthese olditems.Paperrecyclerspickupthevolumesandtransferthemintothe systemoffleamarketdealers,wheretheyeventuallymaketheirwaytothe largerfleaandantiquesmarketsnowheldonweekendsinmanyChinesecities. Eveninthelargercities,thesedaystheaudienceformostchaobenislimited,so theprices,althoughrising,arestillreasonable.Veryfewcontemporaryscholars inChinaorelsewherearecollectingorresearchingthesematerials.Almostno librariesarecollectingthemortryingtorescuethemfromthevagariesofthe marketplace.Becausethematerialsareoldandwereoriginallywrittenonlowqualitypaper,theyareusuallyinfairlyfragilecondition,aremissingpages,or lackcovers.

MybookisastudyofthechaobenthatIboughtinChinasince2004.When IfirstsawthemattheBeijingPanjiayuanantiquesmarket[BeijingPanjiayuan jiuhuoshichang 北京潘家園舊貨市場],Iwasintriguedbytheseoldbooklets andpamphletsand,atthesametime,wasveryunsureaboutexactlywhatthey were.Theywerewrittenwithabrush,meaningthatsomeofthecharacters couldbehardtodecipher,ortheyusednonstandardcharactersthatdidnot appearinmostdictionaries.TheywerewritteninaformofclassicalChinese thatregularlylackedanypunctuation,exceptforheavilyusedtexts,inwhicha readerlateraddedsomebasicpunctuation.Theredcirclesusedaspunctuation werealsoanindicationthatthetexthadbeenconsultedenoughtowarrantthe helpofpunctuation;forreligioustexts,itwouldhelpwhenthecontentswere

readaloud.Manyofthemhavenotitleonthecover,soaquickglancewould nottellmewhatthebookwasabout.Entiresectionsofthetextwerelostto crumblingandtornpages.Theravagesofsilverfish,mildew,andevenbitesby ahungrygoat,alongwiththesmellstrappedinthepaper,werecluestothepast lifeofthechaobenIbought.

Myfirsttask,then,wastounderstandexactlywhattheseitemswere,why theywereproduced,andhowtheywereused.Alongwithansweringthese questions,Iwantedtounderstandthemintermsofaconceptualanthropologicalframework.Further,Iwantedtounderstandtheeconomic,cultural,and socialimperativesthatcausedthemtobewrittenandneededbythepeople. Chapter1suggestshowtointerpretthemfromananthropologicalpointofview thatIfoundlogicalandconducivetoseeingthecontextinwhichtheyexisted. Thischapteralsopresentsasurveyofthedifferenttypesofcopiedbooksthat areavailable.Thehandwrittenbooksproducedfallintospecificcategories, whichdefinetheparticularsituationinwhichaneconomicexchangetook place,asthe xiucaipreparedthematerialsandasthecustomerpaidforthem. Thetypeofinformationrequestedbythecustomerillustratesthesocialorculturalimperativesinplaythatcreateditsutilityinthefirstplace.Weshould interpreteverychaobendiscussedinthisbookfromthoseanthropological,economic,andculturalperspectives.

Themenwhowrotethese chaoben haveunwittinglytoldusalotabout themselves,perhapsmorethantheyintended.Chapters2and3lookatchaoben textsintermsoftryingtofindhowthescholarswhowrotethesetextsfelt aboutthemselvesandtheworktheyweredoing.Chapter2looksattheway inwhichthescholarsimitatedmoreformalworksofphilosophyandliterature bywritingpoliteapologiesorself-deprecation[qianci 謙辭]attheendoftheir texts.Wefindtheysawthemselvesashavinglowstatus,quiteinferiortothose withmoreformaleducation.Bycontrastingtheirexpressionswiththoseused byfullytrainedscholars,wefindthatthe xiucai useddirectandunrefined languagetoexpresstheirpoliteapology.Thischapteralsobrieflyexaminesa fewexamplesofthetongue-in-cheek“humor”ofthetimethatappearedin somechaoben.

InChapter3weexplorethemiscellaneouscommentsthattheauthorswrote inthemarginsoftheirtexts.Thosecommentssometimestoutedthevalue ofwhattheyweredoingandcanbeseenasaformofmarketingandselfpromotiontoaffirmthevalueoftheinformationtheyweresellingtotheir customers.Atthesametime,theyallowthewritertoaffirmtheworthofhis occupation,whichprobablydidnotearnhimagreatdealofmoney.

Chapters4–9focusonaparticular chaoben oracategoryof chaoben and giveamoredetailedexaminationofhowtheitemorcategoryofitemsactually

reflectsthevaluesandtheeconomicandsocialsituationofthecommonpeoplewhousedthem.Chapter4concentratesonmaterialsusedbyanelementary schoolteacher,withanattempttodeterminethechronologyofthosematerials. Itisalwaysuseful,butnotalwayspossible,toassumethedatesofthechaoben. Establishingtheprecisedatesoftheteacher’smaterialsisnotnecessaryforus tolookintotheteacher’sclassroom,buttantalizingwritingonthehandwritten“textbook”heusedinspiremetoguessaboutthecourseofthebooklet’s life.

Chapter5discussesthehoroscopepreparedbyafortunetellerwhomade amazinglycorrectpredictions,incontextoftheeconomicandsocialconditionsaboutwhichhewaswriting,eventhoughhewaspredictingfiftyyears intothefuture!Chapter6looksatashortfamilyhistorythat,atfirstglance, seemsalltoobriefandvaguebut,whenviewedcriticallyrevealsmuchabout thevillagefamilythatstruggledtoattainsocialstatusandin1944fearedfor thecontinuationofitslineage.Thesimplegenealogicalentriestellusagreat dealaboutthefamily’sself-perceptionswheninterpretedfromaninformed perspective.

Chapter7focusesonMr.Bai,apoorscholarwhomadehislivingbywriting NewYear’sscrolls,and,fromthemessynotebookheprepared,wecanspeculateabouthispersonalityandthepoor,smallvillagecommunityinwhichhe worked.Chapters8and9examineanumberofmaterialspreparedbyritual specialiststodealwiththeDaoistdeitieswhocouldrelievethesufferingsand fearsofthepeople,aswellaswiththeghostsandgoblinswholayinwaitto harassthepoorpeasant.

Chapter8addressestheformaldeitiesofreligiousDaoismandhowthe commonpeopleinChinarelatedtothem,bothaskingforhelpandinteracting withtheirgodsreflectedthroughcolorfulspectacles.Thedeitiespresentedin thischaptercontinuetobetreatedwithvenerationandrespectamongthe devoteesofpopularDaoisminChinaandTaiwantoday.Chapter9continues theexaminationofpopularspiritsbylookingattheghostsandgoblinsthat disruptedthelivesoftheworkingpoor,causingheadachesandvomiting.If youknewthenameofthegoblinandshouteditout,thebalefulspiritmight runaway.Suchwerethevexationsthatcouldbefacedbyanyofthecommon peopleofChinaonanyday.

Thestudyof minjianchaoben isafieldthatalmostdoesnotexist.Thisisa categoryofmaterialsrarelyusedbycontemporaryscholarstoreconstructthe livesofpeopleinthelateQingandRepublicanperiods.Thenamesofthefew scholarswritinginChineseorinEnglishwhoreferencechaobenarementioned inChapter1.Inabroadsense,thisbookisaguidetohowtoextractpossible meaningandhowtocreativelyevaluatethesematerials.

Oneconventionusedinthisworkisthat,forallitemsintheauthor’spersonalcollection,whichareusuallyhandwritten chaoben but,inafewcases, areprintedwoodblockorlithographededitionsofbookscloselylinkedtothe chaobendiscussedinthisstudy,theEnglish-languagetitleisgivenfirstinboldface,followedbytheChinese-languagetitleinpinyinromanizationandthenin theChinesecharacters.Ifthebookletlackedatitlepage,whichwasnotuncommon,Iusuallyusedthefirstfewwordsonthefirstreadablepageasthetitle. Thisconventionhelpstodistinguishtheprimarymaterialsstudiedherefrom theothermaterialsconsulted.

Manyhandwritten chaoben areavailableonthemarketatpresent,at antiquesorusedbookfairsheldinmanyChinesecitiesalloverthecountry.SomefairsareassociatedwithtemplesorheldbyformerConfuciantemples[wenmiao 文廟],asacontinuationofthetraditionalConfucianrespect forantiquityandliteracy.Othermarkets,bothindoorandoutdoor,areheld nearoneoftheantiquesmalls[guwancheng 古玩城]thatentrepreneurialmerchantshavesetuptomeetthedemandforoldartandantiqueitems,bothgenuineandreproductions.Someoftheitemsonsaleinthecategoryofantiques are“fakes,”reproductionsmadetolookold,butthoseareusuallyitemspresumedtohavehistoricvalue,suchasreproductionsofamemorialtoaQing emperororadocumentannouncinganappointmenttoahighgovernment office.Sometimestheforgersappeartogiveobservantcollectorscluesthatthe itemtheyarelookingatisnotauthenticby,forexample,writinginaportionof thetextreadleft-to-rightasinthepresent,whereastheQingpracticeandthe Qingwayofthinkingwastowriteinaright-to-leftstyle.Ihaveboughtsome fauxantiquesbecausetheylookedsointeresting.WhenthesellerandIboth acknowledgetheitemisafake,thepriceisreduced,andbothofusaresatisfiedwiththetransaction.Around2005to2011,some chaoben fromtheQing withareligioustheme,containingtalismanandillustrationsofDaoistdeities, werereproducedandfloodedthemarketsinChina.Vendorsonthestreetsold thematverylowpricesalmostexclusivelytoChinesecustomers.Merchantsat theantiquesfairssoldthematwhateverpricetheycouldgetfromtheChinese orforeigncustomers.Butthereproductionswerenotatallsophisticated,and thepaperusedlackstheclothlikequalityoftheoldbooks.Theycanstillbe foundforsaleatsomestalls,placednexttoauthentic chaoben.The chaoben usedinthisstudyareallthe“realthing,”asanyexaminationofthemconfirms.

ThehandmadepaperusedinQing-andRepublican-era chaoben isalmost alwaysverypliant.Thebestofit,eventhelower-qualityexamples,islikethin cloth,andsomeofthatpaperwillnottearbutwill,instead,pullapartasifit wereclothdisintegrating.Handmadepaperoflowortypicalqualityalwayshas

alotofimperfectionsinthepaper,whichcontainsbrokenpiecesofleavesor otherfibers.Mostofthepaperusedbythepingminofthetimewasunbleached, andithasturnedyelloworbrown,especiallypapermadefrombamboo.Some ofthepaperlooksasifitwereintendedforuseaswrappingforapackage, ratherthanforwriting,anditseemstoothicktobeusedforwriting.Paper ofbetterqualityusedbycalligraphersandtheupperclassesexhibitsfewerif anyimperfections.Fine-qualitypaperwasbleachedwhite,andincombination withgoodcalligraphy,denotesaqualitymanuscript,aswillbereflectedbyits priceinantiquesmarkets.Thisstudydoesnotincludemanuscriptswiththose marksofeliteprovenance.

Handmadepaperoftenshowssignsofthepapermaker’sscreenstrainer.To seethesequalities,holdthepaperuptothelightandletthelightshinethrough it.Keepinmindthat,intraditionalstring-ortwine-boundvolumes,eachpage consistsofasheetthathasbeenfolded,sotrytoseparatetheleavesslightly toseeasinglesheetinthelight;formanytraditionalchaobeneventheleaves, whenfoldeddouble,revealinthelightthemixofplantsusedinthepapermakingprocess.Asthesheetofpaperishelduptolight,onecanalsoseethe marksofthebamboostrainerthatwasusedinthepaper-makingprocess.

Fromtheleastexpensiveandthemostdeterioratedtothehigher-quality examples,allthepaperusedtookthewritinginkverywell.Wordsarerarely blurredorfuzzyandretaintheircrispnessevenoverahundredyearslater.The inkmakers,thescribes,and xiucai whopreparedtheirinkdeservecreditfor that.

Inafewcases,thepersonwhopreparedthechaobennumberedtheleavesin atraditionalmanner.Forexample,leaf1hastwosides,soIcitethenumbering asleaf1side“a”orside“b.”Inamajorityofthe chaoben,however,nopage numbersweregiven,soIcountedeachsideasanindividualpageandwrotethe pagenumberinpencilatthebottomofthepageformyownreference.Thatis howtheyareusuallyreferencedinthisbook,asconsecutivelynumberedpages.

Authorsofthe chaoben sometimesidentifiedthemselves.Thiswasespeciallythecasewithreligioussutrasthatwerecopied,becausethewriterwas doingsoasawaytoreceiveblessingsfromthedeitiesorasareligiousactpaid forbythepersonwhohadorderedahand-copiedversionofthereligioustext. Textstobeusedforreligiouspurposesusuallyidentifythecopier,giveadate, andoftenthenameofthecopier’s“study”[zhai 斎].Inanumberofcases,often ononeofthevocabularylists[zazi 雜字]discussedinthisstudy,thecopier,and perhapstheauthor,puttheirnamesonthecover.JudgingfromthematerialsI foundusedbystudents,thestudentsseemedtoliketoputtheirnameonthe coverofachaoben.But,ingeneral,theauthordidnotwritehisnameanywhere inthesebooklets.Eveninthosecases,though,sometimessealswereplacedon

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The Project Gutenberg eBook of Gay-Neck

This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.

Title: Gay-Neck

The story of a pigeon

Author: Dhan Gopal Mukerji

Illustrator: Boris Artzybasheff

Release date: November 10, 2023 [eBook #72086]

Language: English

Original publication: New York, NY: E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc, 1927

Credits: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

G-N

Copyright, 1927

By E. P. DUTTON & COMPANY

All rights reserved

First Printing July, 1927

Fifth Printing Dec., 1927

Tenth Printing May, 1928

Fifteenth Printing Oct., 1928

Seventeenth Printing Jan., 1929

Eighteenth Printing June, 1929

Nineteenth Printing Nov., 1929

Twentieth Printing Nov., 1929

Printed in the United States of America

This book was awarded the John Newbery Medal by the Children's Librarians' Section of the American Library Association, for the most distinguished contribution to American Children's literature during the year 1927.

By the same author

Stories for Children

KARI THE ELEPHANT

JUNGLE BEASTS AND MEN

HARI

THE JUNGLE LAD

GAY-NECK (The Story of a Pigeon)

Published by E. P. DUTTON & CO., INC.

TO

D S:

Since Gay-Neck needs a protector I thought of you for several reasons. First of all being a poet, an observer of nature, and a traveller, you would be able to protect the book from being condemned. In fact, there is no one who can do it as well as yourself.

You know the country where Gay-Neck grew. You are versed in the lore of birds. For a pigeon, life is a repetition of two incidents: namely, quest of food and avoidance of attacks by its enemies. If the hero of the present book repeats his escapes from attacks by hawks, it is because that is the sort of mishap that becomes chronic in the case of pigeons.

Now as to my sources, you well know that they are too numerous to be mentioned here. Many hunters, poets like yourself, and books in many languages have helped me to write Gay-Neck. And if you will permit it, I hope to discharge at least a part of my debt by dedicating this book to one of my sources—yourself.

I remain most faithfully yours, D G.

CONTENTS

PART I

I. B G-N

II E G-N

III. T D

IV G-N H

V. O G-N' T

VI. G-N' T

VII. G-N' S

VIII. G-N' O (Continued)

PART II

I. G-N' T W

II. W T (Continued)

III. M G-N

IV. W C G-N

V. S A

VI. G G R

VII. G-N T H H C M

VIII. H H F

IX. T W L

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

G-N

W E L R H T T

T

N B P C K H V F H

F

T S D C E

W S L M, S E O

GAY-NECK

PART I

CHAPTER I

BIRTH OF GAY-NECK

city of Calcutta, which boasts of a million people, must have at least two million pigeons. Every third Hindu boy has perhaps a dozen pet carriers, tumblers, fantails, and pouters. The art of domesticating pigeons goes back thousands of years in India, and she has contributed two species of pigeons as a special product of her bird fanciers, the fantail and the pouter. Love and care have been showered on pigeons for centuries by emperors, princes and queens in their marble palaces, as well as by the poor, in their humble homes. The gardens, grottos and fountains of the Indian rich —the small field of flowers and fruits of the common folks, each has its ornament and music,—many-colored pigeons and cooing white doves with ruby eyes.

Even now any winter morning foreigners who visit our big cities may see on the flat-roofed houses innumerable boys waving white flags as signals to their pet pigeons flying up in the crisp cold air. Through the blue heavens flocks of the birds soar like vast clouds. They start in small flocks and spend about twenty minutes circling over the roofs of their owners' homes. Then they slowly ascend and all the separate groups from different houses of the town merge into one big flock and float far out of sight. How they ever return to their own homes is a wonder, for all the house-tops look alike in shape in spite of their rose, yellow, violet and white colors.

But pigeons have an amazing sense of direction and love of their owners. I have yet to see creatures more loyal than pigeons and elephants. I have played with both, and the tusker on four feet in the country, or the bird on two wings in the city, no matter how far they wandered, were by their almost infallible instinct brought back to their friend and brother—Man.

My elephant friend was called Kari, of whom you have heard before, and the other pet that I knew well was a pigeon. His name was Chitra-griva; Chitra meaning painted in gay colours, and Griva, neck —in one phrase, pigeon Gay-Neck. Sometimes he was called "Iridescence-throated."

Of course Gay-Neck did not come out of his egg with an iridescent throat; he had to grow the feathers week by week; and until he was three months old, there was very little hope that he would acquire the brilliant collar, but at last when he did achieve it, he was the most beautiful pigeon in my town in India, and the boys of my town owned forty thousand pigeons.

But I must begin this story at the very beginning, I mean with GayNeck's parents. His father was a tumbler who married the most beautiful pigeon of his day; she came from a noble old stock of carriers. That is why Gay-Neck proved himself later such a worthy carrier pigeon in war as well as in peace. From his mother he inherited wisdom, from his father bravery and alertness. He was so quick-witted that sometimes he escaped the clutches of a hawk by tumbling at the last moment right over the enemy's head. But of that later, in its proper time and place.

Now let me tell you what a narrow escape Gay-Neck had while still in the egg. I shall never forget the day when, through a mistake of mine, I broke one of the two eggs that his mother had laid. It was very stupid of me. I regret it even now. Who knows, maybe with that broken egg perished the finest pigeon of the world. It happened in this way. Our house was four stories high—and on its roof was built our pigeon house. A few days after the eggs were laid I decided to clean the pigeon hole in which Gay-Neck's mother was sitting on them. I lifted her gently and put her on the roof beside me. Then I lifted each egg carefully and put it most softly in the next pigeon hole; which however had no cotton nor flannel on its hard wooden floor. Then I busied myself with the task of removing the debris from the birth-nest. As soon as that was done, I brought one egg back and restored it to its proper place. Next I reached for the second one and laid a gentle but firm hand on it. Just then something fell upon my face like a roof blown by the storm. It was Gay-Neck's father

furiously beating my face with his wings. Worse still, he had placed the claws of one of his feet on my nose. The pain and surprise of it was so great that ere I knew how, I had dropped the egg. I was engrossed in beating off the bird from my head and face and at last he flew away. But too late; the little egg lay broken in a mess at my feet. I was furious with its clumsy father and also with myself. Why with myself? Because I should have been prepared for the father bird's attack. He took me for a stealer of his eggs, and in his ignorance was risking his life to prevent my robbing his nest. May I impress it upon you that you should anticipate all kinds of surprise attacks when cleaning a bird's home during nesting season.

But to go on with our story. The mother bird knew the day when she was to break open the egg-shell with her own beak, in order to usher Gay-Neck into the world. Though the male sits on the egg pretty nearly one third of the time—for he does that each day from morning till late afternoon—yet he does not know when the hour of his child's birth is at hand. No one save the mother bird arrives at that divine certainty. We do not yet understand the nature of the unique wireless message by which she learns that within the shell the yolk and the white of her egg have turned into a baby-bird. She also knows how to tap the right spot so that the shell will break open without injuring her child in the slightest. To me that is as good as a miracle.

Gay-Neck's birth happened exactly as I have described. About the twentieth day after the laying of the egg I noticed that the mother was not sitting on it any more. She pecked the father and drove him away every time he flew down from the roof of the house and volunteered to sit on the egg. Then he cooed, which meant, "Why do you send me away?"

She, the mother, just pecked him the more, meaning, "Please go. The business on hand is very serious."

At that, the father flew away. That worried me, for I was anxious for the egg to hatch, and was feeling suspicious about its doing it at all. With increased interest and anxiety I watched the pigeon hole. An hour passed. Nothing happened. It was about the third quarter of the next hour that the mother turned her head one way and listened to

something—probably a stirring inside that egg. Then she gave a slight start. I felt as if a tremor were running through her whole body. With it a great resolution came into her. Now she raised her head, and took aim. In two strokes she cracked the egg open, revealing a wee bird, all beak and a tiny shivering body! Now watch the mother. She is surprised. Was it this that she was expecting all these long days? Oh, how small, how helpless! The moment she realizes her child's helplessness, she covers him up with the soft blue feathers of her breast.

CHAPTER II