Adaptation and Authorship in Xiangyan Congshu: Tracing the Origins of Laohu Tan Lidai Liren Ji and Its Modern Historical Fiction Influence

Abstract

In the late Qing period, literary scholar Ping Buqing asserted that the inclusion of Laohu Tan Lidai Liren Ji (Account of Beautiful Women Through the Ages) in Xiangyan Congshu was entirely a creation of the Shenbao Publishing House, dismissing it as a "fabricated work" that dishonored past dynasties. This view has been widely accepted by later scholars. However, upon examining Xue Fucheng's Yong'an Notes, it becomes evident that Laohu Tan Lidai Liren Ji is more likely an adaptation by the editors of Shenbao of Xue's original work Huxian Tan Lidai Liren. Through analyzing the editorial choices and tendencies in the adaptation, we may infer the identity of the adapter, suggesting an attempt to subtly expand upon the conventions of historical fiction in modern times.