Fu Huangzhong 傅黃中

During the Tang era, Fu Huangzhong served as Magistrate for Zhuji County in Yuezhou. There was a person under his jurisdiction who became very drunk one night, went walking through the hills and fell asleep on coming to a steep escarpment. When a tiger happened to approach and sniffed at them, the tiger’s whiskers entered the drunkard’s nostrils, causing an explosive sneeze. The tiger, jumping in fright, fell down the bluff, leaving it trapped by the waist, so people were able to catch it.

From Chaoyeqianzai

Li Fang 李昉, et al., Taiping guangji 太平廣記 (Extensive Gleanings from the Era of Great Harmony), 10 vols (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1961), ix, 426.3471:

傅黃中

唐傅黃中為越州諸暨縣命。有部人飲大醉。夜中山行。臨崖而睡。忽有虎臨其上而嗅之。虎鬚入醉人鼻中。遂噴嚏聲震。虎遂驚躍。便落崖。腰胯下遂。為人所得。

出朝野僉載 

Gan Zong 甘宗

The Qin envoy Gan Zong reported from Xicheng that:

In foreign lands there are people who can summon deities by incantations. Approaching a river, adopting the ‘Yu walk’* and blowing, they cause a dragon to appear. On first emerging, it would be several tens of zhang** in length, but when the scholar blew again it would shrink, reaching only several cun,*** at which he would put it in a flask (rather teapot-shaped), feeding it with a little water. Foreign realms often suffer from severe drought, and when the scholar hears of a place with such as drought, he will send the dragon, taking it out to sell. One dragon is worth several catties of gold. The entire realm will gather to see it, and, once in place, he will open the pot and release the dragon. Placed in a deep pool, once the ‘Yu walk’* and blowing has been performed, it will grow to several zhang. In a moment rain will gather from the four directions.

From Baopuzi.

* The ‘Yu walk’ yubu 禹步 here refers to an imitation of the legendary Emperor Yu’s limp, reportedly employed as a magical technique. My thanks to the ever-helpful Ofer Waldman for bringing this to my attention and vastly improving this translation.

** A zhang 丈 is usually reckoned at about 3.3m in length.

*** A cun 寸 is usually reckoned at about 3.3cm in length.

Li Fang 李昉, et al., Taiping guangji 太平廣記 (Extensive Gleanings from the Era of Great Harmony), 10 vols (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1961), ix, 418.3402:

甘宗

秦使者甘宗所奏西城事云。外國方土能神呪者。臨川禹步吹氣。龍卽浮出。初出。乃長數十丈。方士吹之。一吹則龍輒一縮。至長數寸。乃取置壺中。以少水養之。外國常苦旱災。於是方士聞有（有原作而。據明鈔本丶陳校本改。）旱處。便賚龍往。出賣之。一龍直金數十觔。擧國會歛以顧之。直畢。乃發壺出龍。置淵中。復禹步吹之。長數十丈。須臾雨四集矣。

出抱朴子

A Jiangling Granny 江陵姥

Granny Zhao of Jiangling made her living as a wineseller. During the Yixi era (405-19 CE), humps suddenly rose in the floor of her room. Granny investigated this strange occurrence, and sprinkled wine onto them each day at dawn and dusk. She once saw a thing like a horse’s head emerge, but no holes were left in the floor behind it. When Granny died, her family heard a sound like weeping coming from beneath the earth, and later, when someone dug down, they saw a strange worm-like thing, its size impossible to guess at, which quickly vanished. People call such things Earth Dragons.

From Zhugongjiushi.

Li Fang 李昉, et al., Taiping guangji 太平廣記 (Extensive Gleanings from the Era of Great Harmony), 10 vols (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1961), ix, 418.3402:

江陵姥

江陵趙姥以沽酒為業。義煕中。居室內忽地隆起。姥察為異。朝夕以酒酹之。嘗見一物出頭似驢。而地初無孔穴。及姥死。家人聞土下有聲如哭。後人掘地。見一異物蠢然。不測大小。須臾失之。俗謂之土龍。

出渚宮舊事

Zhang Lu’s Daughter 張魯女

The daughter of Zhang Lu* was once washing clothes at the foot of a mountain when she was enveloped by a fine white mist, and due to this became pregnant. Due to the shame of this she took her own life. Close to death, she told her maid: “Once I am dead you should cut open my belly and look [inside] [3402] it.” When the maid followed her instructions she found a pair of dragon children, which were taken to the Han River. They then buried the daughter on the mountain, after which dragons appeared several times and left footprints before her tomb.

From Daojiazaji.

Li Fang 李昉, et al., Taiping guangji 太平廣記 (Extensive Gleanings from the Era of Great Harmony), 10 vols (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1961), ix, 418.3401-2:

張魯女

張魯之女。曾浣衣於山下。有白霧濛身。因而孕焉。恥之自裁。將死。謂其婢曰。我死後。可破腹視 ［3402］之。婢如其言。得龍子一雙。遂送於漢水。既而女殯於山。後數有龍至。其墓前成蹊。

出道家雜記

*Zhang Lu 張魯 (d. 216 CE), a Daoist Master of the Eastern Han era. See http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Han/personszhanglu.html. 

Cao Feng 曹鳳

During the Later Han Jianwu era (25-57 CE), Cao Feng, courtesy name Zhongli, was serving as Governor of Beidi, and excelled in governance and education. A yellow dragon was seen at the Gaogang Pavilion in Jiuli Gorge, its horns being two zhang (6.66m)  in length, its body ten wei (double handspans) around, and more than ten zhang along to its tip. The Son of Heaven* commended this, granting a hundred rolls of silk and raising his rank to 2,000 bushels.

From Shuijingzhu.

*Emperor Guangwu 光武 (5 BCE-57 CE, r. 25-57 CE)

Li Fang 李昉, et al., Taiping guangji 太平廣記 (Extensive Gleanings from the Era of Great Harmony), 10 vols (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1961), ix, 418.3401:

曹鳳

後漢建武中。曹鳳字仲理。為北地太守。政化尤異。黃龍見於九里谷高岡亭。角長二丈。大十圍。梢至十餘丈。天子嘉之。賜帛百匹。加秩中二千石。

出水經注

Azure Dragons 蒼龍

The night on which Confucius was due to be born two azure dragons descended from heaven and gathered around Zhengzai’s (Confucius’ mother’s) chamber, and she thus gave birth to the Master. Two goddesses came through the air bearing fragrant dew and scattered cleansing droplets over Zhengzai.

From Wangzinian shiyiji.

Li Fang 李昉, et al., Taiping guangji 太平廣記 (Extensive Gleanings from the Era of Great Harmony), 10 vols (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1961), ix, 418.3401:

蒼龍

孔子當生之夜。二蒼龍亘天而下。來附徵在之房。因而生夫子。有二神女擎香露。空中而來。以沐溚徵在。出王子年拾遣記

A Strangeness of Dogs 犬異

During the fourth month of the fourteenth year in the Jin realm’s Tianhui era,* the capital saw little rain, but at a great thunderclap a crowd of several dozen dogs fought to hurry into the (Yellow) River. Only one or two of them could be saved.

* This is confusing; the Tianhui 天會 era is usually dated to 1135-38 CE.

犬異

金國天會十四年四月中，京小雨，大雷震，羣犬數十争赴土河而死，所可救者才一二耳。

Hong Mai 洪邁,  He Zhuo 何卓 (ed.), Yijianzhi 夷堅志 (Record of Yijian) (Beijing: Zhonghua Shuju, 1981), 4 volumes, i, 甲1.7.

Grand Prince of the White Stone 白石大王

When the father of the Fuzhou native Chen Zu’an was awaiting a vacancy as Magistrate for Yanzhou, he dreamed that a yellow-robed clerk arrived bearing a bamboo tally and told him: “The Emperor decrees the gentleman become Grand Prince of the White Stone.” Asked where this was, he replied: “It is not yet time. Wait until the gentleman sees a great stone with a blemish at the corner, and then you should depart. When the time comes [I] will return to meet [you].” On awaking he was greatly upset about this. Later, two months after assuming office, he made a pilgrimage to Mount Tai, lodging at a temple below the peak, at which he spotted a boulder below the courtyard which had a crack straight through one corner. He then became depressed and lost all joy. Not long after he had returned to the prefecture, the yellow-robed one arrived, and he died that very day.

Hong Mai 洪邁, He Zhuo 何卓 (ed.), Yi Jian Zhi 夷堅志 (Record of Yi Jian) 4 volumes (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1981), ii, 丙, 7.431:

白石大王

福州人陳祖安之父，待兗州通判闕，夢黃衣吏持符至，曰：「帝命公爲白石大王。」問所在，曰：「今未也。俟公見巨石玷一角，乃當去。及期，復來迎矣。」覺而大惡之。後赴官兩月，謁泰山，宿山下一寺，適見庭下大石，其一角正缺，悵然不樂。還郡未久，而黃衣至，遂以其日卒。

Giving Birth to a Dragon 產龍

In Weipo Village, Pingding, in the summer of the yisi year,[1] a woman called Sorceress Ma,[2] over fifty years old, grew pregnant and, after a little more than six years, bore this year a dragon. When the officials asked how this had come about, this woman said her pregnancy having reached three or four years without birth, her husband Cao Zhubu feared that it had turned into something uncanny, so drove her out.

When the birth finally neared, they saw people emerging out of a haze and standing in ranks as if in a government office; one of then came forward and stated: “That which has for several years been entrusted to you, will now be released. Next year will bring happiness to this mother.” When he had finished speaking, a white-robed person took her by the arm and departed; on reaching the gate she fainted and lost awareness of those around her, only recovering after some time has passed. People nearby told of how three thunderclaps were heard in the gloom, and a dragon flew from the woman’s body; signs of the pregnancy then vanished.

---

[1] Yisi 乙巳, indicating the forty-second of sixty years in the sexagenary cycle, would likely relate to 1245 CE in the context of Yuan Haowen’s lifetime (1190-1257 CE), but the timing of the event is uncertain.

[2] Usage of shipo 師婆 (‘witch, sorceress, shaman’) here seems to denote women active in the summoning of spirits and deities.

Yuan Haowen 元好問, Xu Yijian zhi 續夷堅志 (Continued Records of the Listener), 1.6 (Tale 14)

平定葦泊村，乙巳夏，一婦名馬師婆，年五十許，懷孕六年有餘，今年方產一龍。官司問所由，此婦說，懷孕至三四年不產，其夫曹主簿懼為變怪，即遣逐之。及臨產，怳忽中見人從羅列其前，如在官府中，一人前自陳云：「寄託數年，今當捨去，明年阿母快活矣。」言訖，一白衣人掖之而去，至門，昏不知人，久之乃甦。旁人為說晦冥中雷震者三，龍從婦身飛去，遂失身孕所在。

---

Yuan Haowen 元好問, Chang Zhenguo 常振國 (ed), Xu Yijian zhi 續夷堅志 (Continued Records of the Listener), and Anon., Jin Xin 金心 (ed.) Huhai xinwen yijian xuzhi 湖海新聞夷堅續志 (Continuation of Records of the Listener with New Items from the Lakes and Seas) (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1986)

Cranes Descend on Tianqing 天慶鶴降

In Xicheng, Xinzhou, in the centre of the Nine Dragon Plateau were established the Xuansheng Temple, Tiefu Monastery and Tianqing Temple, and the prefectural garrison town. In the Tianqing Temple’s Laojun Hall the statues were extremely tall, with the seven emperors of the Great Tang arranged in attendance, and elders said these were moulded by deities. They were refurbished in the second year of the Jin Tianfu era (937 CE). Every year, on the fifteenth day of the second month, named the Pure Origin Festival by Daoists, cranes would arrive and gather together, as many as several dozen, as few as one or two, circling and dancing in the air above the altar hall for a long time before departing. The people of the prefecture would gather to watch all around and atop the nearby city wall; the prefectural governor promised to reward the first person to spot the cranes. From faraway in all four directions ‘yellow hat’ Daoist priests and travellers would arrive for three days without cease. During the turmoil of war in the Zhenyou era (1213-17 CE), the hall was abandoned, and the cranes no longer came.

Yuan Haowen 元好問, Xu Yijian zhi 續夷堅志 (Continued Records of the Listener), 1.11 (Tale 24)

天慶鶴降

忻州西城，半在九龍岡之上，置宣聖廟、鐵佛寺、天慶觀，為州之鎮。天慶觀老君殿尊像極高，大唐七帝列侍，父老云是神人所塑。晉天福二年重脩。每歲二月十五日，道家號「貞元節」，是日，有鶴來會，多至數十，少亦不絕一二，翔舞壇殿之上，良久乃去。州人聚觀旁近城上，州刺史約先見鶴者有賞。四遠黃冠及游客來者，三日不絕。貞祐兵亂，殿廢，鶴遂不至。

Yuan Haowen 元好問, Chang Zhenguo 常振國 (ed), Xu Yijian zhi 續夷堅志 (Continued Records of the Listener), and Anon., Jin Xin 金心 (ed.) Huhai xinwen yijian xuzhi 湖海新聞夷堅續志 (Continuation of Records of the Listener with New Items from the Lakes and Seas) (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1986)