The Book of Swindles (Piàn jīng 騙經), also known by its longer title,A New Book for Foiling Swindlers, Based on Worldly Experience (Jiānghú lìlǎn dùpiàn xīnshū 江湖歷覽杜騙新書), is said to be the first published and printed Chineseshort story collection aboutfraud.[1] Written and compiled by Zhang Yingyu (張應俞), a man who lived in the early to mid 16th-century, it was published inFujian province in or around1617, and most of its stories are set during the latter part of theMing dynasty.
To each story the author adds a commentary that offers a moral lesson. In some cases, Yingyu even notes the cleverness of the con while pointing out the foolishness of its victim.[2]
Modern editions have been entitled bothThe Book Against Swindles (Fan Pian Jing 反骗经) andThe Book of Swindles (Pian jing 骗经). A selected English translation,The Book of Swindles: Selections from a Late Ming Collection, translated by Christopher Rea and Bruce Rusk, was published byColumbia University Press in 2017.[3]
The first edition of 1617 has the full titleA New Book for Foiling Swindlers, Based on Worldly Experience (Jianghu lilan dupian xinshu), suggesting that it is a guide to negotiating the risky world of the traveling merchant.[citation needed]
The Book of Swindles is divided into twenty-four categories of swindle:
Zhang Yingyu, style name Kui Zhong (夔衷), is an obscure figure.The Book of Swindles is the only known work to appear under his name, and no other records of him are known. A note on the title page of one Ming dynasty copy claims that he was from Zhejiang province, while a 1617 preface says that he was from Fujian.[2]
TheBook of Swindles incorporates elements from a variety of other Chinese genres, especiallycourt case (gong'an) fiction, in which a capable magistrate solves a crime.[5] Stories involvingsorcerers,Buddhist monks, andDaoist priests, who engage inalchemy or dream spirit possession, include motifs fromsupernatural tales. Other stories, featuring suspense, surprise and revelation, resemblejokes in structure. A minority include apocryphalanecdotes about historical figures.[6]
Other works of fiction from the same time period, such as stories byFeng Menglong (1574–1645),Ling Mengchu (1580–1644), andLi Yu (1610–80), as well as novels such asThe Water Margin (Shui hu zhuan) andPlum in the Golden Vase (Jin ping mei), feature accounts of similar scenarios of deception and trickery.[2] Collections of swindle stories can also be found in contemporary China.[citation needed]
