author
Yun Ji
1724–1805
A sharp-eyed Qing scholar and storyteller, he is best known for blending official learning with eerie, entertaining tales. His work moves easily between history, folklore, and wit, which helps explain why readers still return to it centuries later.
1 Audiobook
閱微草堂筆記
by Yun Ji
About the author
Born in 1724 and active during the Qing dynasty, Ji Yun was a Chinese writer, scholar, and government official. He is also widely known by the name Ji Xiaolan. Alongside his public career, he became famous for his literary work and for the lively intelligence that runs through his writing.
He is especially remembered for Yuewei Caotang Biji (Notes from the Thatched Abode of Close Scrutiny), a collection of anecdotal and supernatural stories that mixes curiosity, irony, and moral reflection. His reputation also rests on his role in major scholarly projects of his time, which placed him close to the heart of imperial learning.
What makes him stand out today is the range of his voice: learned but not stiff, skeptical yet open to marvels, and serious without losing a sense of humor. That combination gives his work an unusual freshness for a writer who died in 1805.