CATDOLL: Ji Xiaolan's masterpiece "Notes from Yuewei Thatched Cottage" was serialized in the Japanese comic "The False Minister"

Japanese comics cover all walks of life. It can be said that there is nothing that they do not cover, except what you can't think of! Many famous works of domestic artists have also been adapted into various comic derivative works by Japanese cartoonists. Among them, the representative adaptation work "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" series is believed to be familiar to everyone.

Recently, a comic strip titled "The False Minister" has appeared in Japan. This comic strip is actually adapted from "Notes from the Yuewei Cottage" (originally named "Notes from the Yuewei Cottage") written by Ji Xiaolan of the Qing Dynasty. However, there is no Chinese version of this comic strip in China.

Screenshot of the comic "The False Minister"

"Notes from Yuewei Thatched Cottage" mainly records stories about foxes, ghosts, gods and monsters, with the intention of persuading good and punishing evil. Although the book is not without preaching about cause and effect, it reflects the decadence and darkness of the end of feudal society through various descriptions. For example, the first chapter describes several major fox images, reflecting the order and norms of the fox world; the second chapter describes Ji Yun's narrative techniques for constructing the fox world; the third chapter describes the reasons why Ji Xun created fox stories. In the conclusion, Ji Yun affirmed the artistic value of fox stories, and compared them with previous and contemporary works, pointing out their emotional connotations, narrative language, and story arrangement characteristics, and summarizing the influence and expression of internal and external factors on the creation of novels.

The book is written in a way that seems to be true or false. It aims to reflect the corruption and depravity of the officialdom at that time through these strange descriptions, and then oppose the philosophy of Qi and Li of the Song Confucianists, which only talks about the nature of things but neglects to practice them. It also satirizes the hypocrisy and meanness of the Taoists, and indirectly exposes the greed, lawlessness, and conservative superstition of the people in society. However, Ji Yun also expresses deep sympathy and compassion for the miserable lives of the vast majority of people at the bottom of society. At the end of each story, the author always comes up with a few phrases to judge the ins and outs of the story, the right and wrong of the matter, or whether it is reasonable in a balanced tone. These comments are always thought-provoking.