The Dissolution and Reconstruction of Boundaries: The Complex Literary Structure and Its Significance in Zhang-Dai(張岱)’s Xi Hu Meng Xun(西湖夢尋)

Zhang Dai(張岱)’s Xi Hu Meng Xun(『西湖夢尋』), completed in 1671 when he was 75 years old, is a work documenting the famous sites and natural landscapes of Xi Hu(西湖) in Hangzhou(杭州). This study attempts to analyze the work not as a mere travel record but as a text with a unique literary structure. First, Zhang Dai adopted a chronological narrative style similar to historical records to document the unchanging truths of Xi Hu(西湖). Second, he secured objectivity and reliability in his narrative by citing local gazetteers. Third, he demonstrated characteristics of an anthology by dividing Xi Hu(西湖) into five districts and including 72 of his own writings alongside 195 works by other authors. Finally, as a characteristic of Xiaopin(小品) literature, he meticulously depicted the lives and spirits of various social classes around Xi Hu(西湖). In conclusion, Xi Hu Meng Xun(『西湖夢尋』) holds literary-historical significance in that it organically reconstructed historical facts and literary truths while comprehensively incorporating various contemporary literary forms such as historical records, local gazetteers, anthologies, and Xiaopin essays into an original composition.