This book journeyed over many years before it finally moored. The earliest research work related to this project was inspired by my relocation from the southern hemisphere back to the north on Christmas Day 2005. This move echoed the frequent moves I had taken before: from Hong Kong to Guangzhou, Beijing, Boulder (CO), Columbus (OH), San Diego (CA), Boston (MA), Sydney (NSW, Australia), and back to Hong Kong. When Rip Van Winkle returned home, twenty years had passed, and his home had changed beyond recognition. When Odysseus regained his kingdom in Ithaca, it had also been twenty years since he left. In the disguise of the swineherd, only Argoâa puppy when his master leftârecognized Odysseus. (His maid only recognized the scar on his foot.) Liu Chen and Ruan Zhao returned from a magical journey to find their home a strange land. Upon my return home, I found Hong Kong a drastically altered place, and all these classic homecoming stories carried deep personal significance. After a period of reflection and research, I wrote a paper entitled âA Tale of Two Worlds.â1
While âA Tale of Two Worldsâ contrasts magical realms hidden within medieval China with the political reality of the time, my academic career has spanned more than two worlds. Not long after my return to Hong Kong, my students Tyler C. Pike and Scheherazade Rogers visited me from Sydney, bringing along some qi
The decade-long research work for this book was supported by several research grants. The most important of these was a 2014 six-month sabbatical leave from Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), which allowed me to spend three months at the University of Washington under the guidance of David R. Knechtges. The program allowed me to make efficient use of the excellent collections at Suzzallo and Allen Libraries and the Tateuchi East Asia Library. During my visit, Shen Zhijia and Wang Ping offered much support. My research was also funded by several schemes: a two-year grant by the Research Grant Council, Hong Kong SAR Government, under the General Research Fund (2013â15); and Hong Kong Baptist Universityâs Faculty Research Grants (2013, 2016, 2017). The HKBUâs Staff Development Grants enabled me to present my work at conferences (2013, 2014, 2016). For access to numerous primary and secondary sources, HKBU Library played a pivotal role. I also made extensive use of the East Asian Library of Stanford University, the East Asian Library of the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Tokyo Library, University of Kyoto Library, and TÅyÅ Bunko
My approach to literary scholarship was formed by my supervisors Professor Ge Xiaoyin
Some of the basic ideas and content of chapters 4 and 5, and the Epilogue were previously published in three Chinese articles, although they have been greatly expanded and revised. They are:
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âDongxian ge song Ruanlang gui: Ou ci guiqing qiantanâ
æ´ä»æéé®éæ¸ââæè©é¨æ æ·ºæ¢ (Songs of the Grotto Goddess Sending Master Ruan Home: Feminine Lovesickness in Ouyang Xiuâs Ci-poetry). In Zhang Hongsheng, ed. Song Yuan wenxue yu zongjiaoå®å æå¸èå®æ . Shanghai: Shanghai guji chubanshe, 2015, pp. 329â51. -
âRusheng yuxian: Liu Chen Ruan Zhao chuanshuo zai Yuan Ming yujing zhong de shidai yiyiâ
åçéä»ââåæ¨é®èå³èªªå¨å æèªå¢ä¸çæ代æ義 (âThe Confucian Students Met the Fairies: the Saga of Liu Chen and Ruan Zhao in the Contexts of Yuan-Ming Dynastiesâ). Journal of Chinese Studiesä¸åæåç 究æå¸å ± 67 (2018): 41â62. -
âShennü youxin: Aodexiusi yu Liu Chen Ruan Zhao yanyu gushi yiyun de bijiao yanjiuâ
ç¥å¥³æå¿ââ奧德修æ¯èåæ¨é®èè·éæ äºæèçæ¯è¼ç 究 (âThe Nymph in Love: A Comparative Study of Odysseusâs and Liu Chen and Ruan Zhaoâs Romanceâ). Guoxue xinshengåå¸æ°è² 5 (Taiyuan: San Jin chubanshe, 2014), 239â306.
Two former students from the University of Sydney, Scheherazade Rogers and Tyler C. Pike (mentioned above), deserve prominent acknowledgment. Scheherazade edited my conference abstracts and papers that became the main content of this book. Tyler did thorough editorial work on the manuscript. His editing work encompassed not only the grammar, style, and format of the writing, but also gave me useful feedback and prompted me to rewrite several sections.
During the review process, I received invaluable feedback and criticism from the anonymous readers arranged as part of the publication process. They pointed out numerous mistakes and flaws and prompted me to reconsider various issues and re-write/revise different parts in the manuscript they found problematic. I am wholeheartedly indebted to these reviewersâ efforts to help me improve the quality of the arguments, translations, and structure of the writing.
Finally, and most importantly, my heartfelt gratitude goes to my family. My parents cannot read or write but they made the utmost effort to offer financial and spiritual support for my education. My wife Zhang Hong and our son Andrew have been vitalizing me with inexhaustible qi, manifested as love, inspiration, and encouragement.