Records of the Jiaofang: a Memoir 教坊記 (annotated translation part 1 of 4 - Preface)

Jiaofangji, or Records of the Jiaofang, is a mid-8th century anecdotal recollection attributed to Cui Lingqin 崔令欽, a granary officer who served under Emperor Xuanzong. Written in the aftermath of the disassembling of the Jiaofang, the most dazzling music institution at the royal courts, Jiaofangji is Cui Lingqin's nostalgic retelling of "behind-the-scenes" of the lives of the inner palace musicians who, after the fall of the capital, like Cui Lingqin were scattered throughout the empire.

This translation uses the version of the text as annotated by the scholar Ren Bantang in 1962. Bibliographic details soon to follow. For a complete version of this text on Wikipedia, see here.

Since this is a work in progress, I'm not responsible for anything whatsoever; please read at your own risk and share conscientiously! Comments greatly welcomed. 

Preface: 

In the old days, when Yinkang was king, the primordial qi 氣 separated for the first time, and natural disasters had yet ceased. Water was flooding everywhere, inundating the mountains, and people often suffered from swollen feet/lymphatic obstruction. [Yinkang] thought that [people] should soothe their joints, hence he made a dance.¹ Shun composed song to pacify the eight winds, and not to please the heart.² In the Spring and Autumn period, Qi sent women and musicians to Lu (Duke Huan of Lu),³  and the man of Genyang too offered the same to Xianzi the great clan head of Jin;⁴ from this point on, music became excessive and corrupted.  

By the time we get to the Han ruling house, there were the likes of Wei Zifu (second empress of Han Wudi) who was promoted because of her singing, and Zhao Feiyan who was doted on because of her dancing. From this point on, this culture of dissoluteness expanded and flourished. The Jin clan showed signs of trouble, and there were unaccompanied songs being written. Eventually these verses were accompanied with various pipes and strings, and recorded in the [Han] Music Bureau. When general Li Guang (338-399, founder of the Latter Liang) conquered Qiuci (Kucha), he acquired many of its musical titles, as well as over a hundred Buddhist songs.

Our empire was truly in accordance with the mysticism of the Dao, [yet]  there had not been any [music] that extolled virtue. Emperor Gaozong then ordered the musician Bai Mingkui to make songs and musical modes of the Dao. When Emperor Xuanzong was still at the vassal state (i.e. before he became emperor), there was one set of “motley music.” Putting to rest the aberrant airs, [Xuanzong] greatly reduced its power. When he ascended the throne, [Xuanzong] made [the vassal state] a satellite state, and often surveyed the music of Taichang at the Nine Turn regions (west of the Yellow River). 

Officer Jiang Hui, the younger brother of a favorite Chugong Jiao, was promoted on account of music. Whenever there was a show (xi 戲), it will be divided into two groups in order to decide which was the better one. This encouraged people to compete, hence it was called “warming up the show” (rexi 熱戲) Therefore, the King of Shaoning hosted music from the vassal state to defeat [his competitor]: one jester mounted stilts of one hundred foot tall, dancing forward. The stilt walker from Taichang was up in the air one hundred feet and then some more. In contrast to the other one, as soon as [the Taichang] stilt walker came out, he moved back and forth; even though the stilts were longer by almost half of the length of the other ones, he still moved twice as fast. The many musicians at Taichang made a great racket and were self-boasting in their winning. The Emperor was displeased. He ordered fifty or sixty private courtiers, each holding an object – the likes of horsewhips and metal rods – lying in hiding in the crowd. These men mingled among the choirboys (sheng'er 聲兒) of Taichang and stood behind them, waited till the Taichang people made noise, then hit them at will.

When Chugong Jiao, Jiang Hui, and the attendants first saw the private courtiers arrive in numbers, they thought it was strange; then they secretly saw that [the courtiers] were carrying things in their sleeves, and hence lost their spirits and became dejected. But the stilt walkers were shaking their stilts, tumbling from side to side uncontrollably. The Emperor saw this and said to the Inner Ladies, “His stilts should soon break.” A moment later they broke in the middle, and the Emperor put his hands together and guffawed. The Inner Musicians all applauded in praise. 

The next day, it was decreed, “The Taichang Temple is in charge of rituals; it is inappropriate to manage jesters, actors, and miscellaneous entertainers.” Thereupon [the Emperor] established the Jiaofang, divided it into the left and right studios and presided over them. The Left Firarms Brigade General Fan Anji was its overseer. During the Kaiyuan reign, I was the Left Chamberlain of the Granary. Of the military officials, two or three out of ten lived in the Guangzhai  光宅  Ward and Yanzheng 延政 Ward ⁵ [where the Jiaofang personnel lived]. Each time they asked for their salaries or every time they visited, they related [stories] to me in detail. Now, there is trouble in the Central Plains, and I am drifting aimlessly in the area south to the Yellow River. Upon reminiscing my cavorting of the olden days that are forever gone, I channeled whatever scraps that came to my recollection, and wrote down this Jiaofangji (Records of the Jiaofang). 

^{1. This tale of the origin of music is a paraphrase of Lushi chunqiu, "Ancient Music" chapter. Yinkang is a legendary deity-emperor who ruled after Yandi 炎帝 aka Shennong 神農, one of the primordial Three Emperors in one version of the creation lore.↩}

<sup>2. 君子之近琴瑟。以儀節也。非以慆心也。Zuozhuan 10.1 (First year of Duke Zhao). These words come from a doctor He 醫和, who was sent by Duke Huan of Qin to inquire after the ailment of the Duke of Jin.↩
3. This refers to the Analects, "Weizi" 微子 section. The people of Qi offered women and musicians to the Duke of Lu, aka Ji Huanzi 季桓子, and he did not attend court for three days. This resulted in Confucius' departure from Lu.↩
4. This incident comes from Zuozhuan 10.28. A man from Genyang was in litigation, and bribed the Great Clan Head 魏獻子 with women and musicians.↩</sup>

^{5. 延政坊 was later renamed 长乐坊, located in the northeast quadrant. ↩}