author
Menglong Feng
1574–1646
A major late Ming writer and editor, he helped preserve and popularize Chinese vernacular storytelling. He is especially remembered for the lively story collections later known in English as the Three Words.
5 Audiobooks
About the author
Born in Suzhou in 1574, this late Ming historian, novelist, poet, and editor became one of the key figures in bringing popular storytelling into literary culture. Reliable reference sources describe him as a writer of the late Ming dynasty and a major compiler of vernacular literature, a role that shaped how later readers encountered many classic tales.
He is best known for compiling the three influential short-story anthologies commonly called the Three Words—Stories Old and New, Stories to Caution the World, and Stories to Awaken the World. He was also associated with the anthology Jingu qiguan (Wonders Old and New), and his work had a lasting effect on the development and preservation of Chinese fiction.
Because so much of his importance lies in editing, collecting, and refining stories, his legacy is bigger than any single title. He stands out as a writer who helped bridge elite literary culture and the rich world of everyday speech, humor, feeling, and narrative.