author
active 16th century-17th century Qingyuan Zhou
Known only in outline today, this late Ming storyteller is remembered for a vivid collection of tales tied to Hangzhou’s famous West Lake. The surviving work blends local legend, history, romance, and moral drama in a way that still feels lively centuries later.
1 Audiobook
西湖二集
by active 16th century-17th century Qingyuan Zhou
About the author
Very little seems to be firmly documented about this author beyond the name Zhou Qingyuan, also written as 周清源, and the fact that catalogues describe him as active in the late 16th to early 17th century.
He is best known for Xihu er ji (The Second Collection of West Lake Tales), a Chinese story collection associated with the late Ming period. Bibliographic sources identify it as his principal surviving work, and modern descriptions note that its stories are connected with West Lake in Hangzhou.
The book’s reputation rests on its mix of historical material, local lore, love stories, moral lessons, and reflections on social life. Because so little biographical detail is securely preserved, Zhou Qingyuan is often approached through the texture of this collection itself: a window into late Ming popular storytelling and the cultural imagination surrounding West Lake.