Baowenglaoren

Baowenglaoren, also written as 抱甕老人 or in older romanization as Pao-weng-lao-jen, is the name attached to the Chinese collection Jin gu qi guan. Library and public-domain catalog records consistently list that work under this pen name rather than a clearly identified personal name.

Because the surviving records available here are brief, it is safest to describe Baowenglaoren as a traditional compiler or editor figure linked to Jin gu qi guan, not as a fully documented historical individual. The collection has circulated widely in later editions, and catalog records connect the name with Ming-era Chinese literature.

For listeners, the important thing is the book itself: a celebrated gathering of dramatic, moral, witty, and often surprising stories drawn from the Chinese storytelling tradition. Even when the person behind the pen name remains uncertain, the voice of the collection is vivid and enduring.