Official site present form record - Kanjo Genkei-ki

A novel from the late Qing Dynasty in China. Written by Li Baojia (penname: Boyuan, 1867-1906), it was published in succession under the pen name Nanting Tingcho from 1901 to 1905. The author was a newspaper journalist in Shanghai, running publications such as Zhongnan Bao, Youxi Bao, and Hai Shang Fanghua Bao, and wrote many novels. A representative work of exposé (exposure) novel from the late Qing Dynasty, it depicts the state of national society at the end of the Qing Dynasty after the Boxer Rebellion and the decadence and corruption of the official world, conveying the atmosphere of the time better than the actual records. It sharply and scathingly exposes the dark side of bribery, selling of officials, and the keeping of concubines by officials from the Minister of Military Affairs to lower-ranking officials, but has no intention of solving the dark society. The author imitated the chapter-based structure of "The Anecdote of the Confucian Scholars," which links together episodes, and initially planned to write a total of 10 chapters (120 episodes), but died of illness at the age of 39, leaving only 5 chapters (60 episodes) unfinished.

[Ryoji Shimura]

"Translated by Yoshitaka Iriya, "Chinese Classical Literature Series 50 and 60: Official Documents" (1968, 1969, Heibonsha)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、清(しん)末の小説。李宝嘉(りほうか)（字(あざな)は伯元(はくげん)。1867―1906）作。1901年から05年に、南亭亭長(なんていていちょう)の筆名で逐次出版。作者は上海(シャンハイ)で新聞記者をやり、『指南報』『遊戯報』『海上繁華報』などを経営し、多くの小説を書いた。清末の譴責(けんせき)（暴露）小説の代表作で、義和団事件後の清末の国家社会の情勢、官界の堕落・腐敗のようすをむき出しに描き、実録以上に当時の空気を伝える。軍機大臣から下級官吏まで、役人の収賄、売官、蓄妾(ちくしょう)など、その裏面を鋭く痛烈に暴露したが、暗黒社会をいかにすべきかの志向はない。作者は『儒林外史(じゅりんがいし)』の挿話（エピソード）をつなげる章回体(しょうかいたい)をまね、初め全10編（120回）の計画であったが、5編（60回）で未完のまま39歳で病死した。

［志村良治］

『入矢義高訳『中国古典文学大系50・60　官場現形記』（1968、69・平凡社）』

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