The Travels of Lao Tsan

'The Travels of Lao Can' or 'Lao Can Youji' was written by Liu E (1857-1909) between 1904-07 during the late Qing era. This current edition was published by Chinese Literature (Panda Books, Beijing) in 1983, and was translated by Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang. This partly autobiographical and allegorical work presents numerous colorful insights into the society of the closing years of the Manchu or late Qing dynasty China. This was a society where corruption among Chinese officials was rampant. During his travels, Liu E or Lao Can writes about the injustice and evils that these officials bring upon the people, and also presents his keen observations of Chinese society in general. This is an excellent book for anyone who is interested in China or Chinese literature. The only gripe that I have with this edition is its poor translation, and also the omission of several chapters from the original Chinese text.