In doing research on the social history of the Ch'un Ch'iu period, one is constantly confronted by the problem of identifying the lineage affiliation of individuals and their genealogical relationships. These matters are treated in the commentaries in most, but not all cases; yet, there are frequent differences of opinion which the reader will be left unaware of if he reads the text with only, for instance, the Tu Yü commentary at hand. Moreover, one inevitably looses track of the genealogical relationships unless the reading is done in conjunction with one or another of the available genealogical charts. And even this does not solve all of the problems, for the genealogical charts are at odds with each other at many points. It has, therefore, become apparent to me that it would be of great assistance to students of this period to have available a reference which would bring together the data from the major sources in one place, and which would show their agreement or disagreement.

The present effort is an experiment in fulfilling this need. I have chosen the state of Ch'u because it is obvious that the commentators have had the most difficulties with this state. Since what follows is the result of tedious labor which I would not wish to continue if others do not find it of value, I would greatly appreciate reader response both as to its general usefulness and as to the format.

A number of interesting anecdotes are recorded in the Shih-chi and the Han-shu, especially in the biographies of various renowned figures. Some of these anecdotes are related to the concept of predestination and fate. The most frequently mentioned cases are the stories of the births of emperors and founders of dynasties and legends related to the ancient sage kings.

At the beginning of the “Annals of Liu Pang,” the founder of the Han dynasty, it is related that he was engendered by a dragon and from this acquired an unusual physiognomy resembling the face of a dragon. His unusual appearance impressed his prospective father-in-law, who decided to let him marry his daughter, the future Empress Lü. An old lady, Madame Hsu, who was noted for her ability to prophesize by physiognomy, was so impressed by the appearance of Liu Pang that she prophesized a good fortune for the whole family. The legend associated with Liu Pang, that his killing of a white snake was lamented by a mysterious old lady as the act of killing the “Son of the White Emperor” by the “Son of the Red Emperor”, is very familiar. It is further related that Liu's wife never failed to locate his hideout because there was always a colorful haze and mist over it.

Among the more unusual pottery items discovered in April of 1969 within Tomb No. 11 in Wu-ying Mountain north of Chi-nan (in Shantung just south of the Yellow River) was a set of twenty-one figures in a rendition of early Han musical entertainment. Since then, the discovery has been widely publicized in both archaeological journals and more popular sources such as the ubiquitous pamphlet, New Archaeological Finds in China (Peking, 1973) and Foreign Language Press postcards (Cultural relics unearthed in China, series I, 1972 and 1975). Four articles which focus on various aspects of this discovery appeared in rapid succession in 1972:

1) Anon. “Wu-ch'an chieh-chi wen-hua ta ko-ming ch'i-ch'ien ch'u-t'u wen-wu chan-lan chien-chieh” (A brief introduction to an exhibition of cultural relics unearthed during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution). Wen-wu 1972.1:70-86. A discussion of the Chi-nan tomb find appears on pp. 81-82. Note also a full-page color reproduction in pl. 11 preceeding the articles.