Zhang Yingyu (fl. 1612-1617) lived during the Wanli period (1573-1620) of the Ming dynasty.

Bruce Rusk is an associate professor of Asian studies at the University of British Columbia. He is coeditor of Literary Information in China: A History (Columbia, 2021), among other books.

Christopher Rea is a professor of Asian studies at the University of British Columbia. His books include Chinese Film Classics, 1922-1949 (Columbia, 2021).

Rusk and Rea are the translators of The Book of Swindles: Selections from a Late Ming Collection (Columbia, 2017).

Translators' Introduction
Explanation of Images at the Heads of Chapters in The Book of Swindles
Type 1: Misdirection and Theft
Encountering the Village Head and Then Stealing a Teapot
Taking Advantage of the Bustle in a Shop to Brazenly Steal a Bolt of Cloth
Borrowing a Storefront to Steal Cloth
A Fake Carpenter Fixes a Moneychanger's Desk Drawer
Type 3: Money Changing
Swapping Fake Silver for a Pure Ingot
Type 4: Misrepresentation
Gulling People by Impersonating an Envoy from the Netherworld and Burning a Register
Stealing Cloth by Pretending to Purchase It at an Alley Entrance
Type 5: False Relations
Incitement to Drinking and Whoring Ruins Health and Reputation
Debts Accumulated Against a Friend's Property Bankrupt a Family
Spurring a Friend to Launch a Fornication Suit to Ruin a Family
Type 7: Enticement to Gambling
Posing as a Wealthy Scion and Enlisting a Prostitute in a Gambling Scam
A Gambling Addict Falls Prey to an Ingenious Trick
Type 9: Scheming for Wealth
Sedan Bearers Take a Confucian Apprentice off the Beaten Path
Jacking Up the Price of Goods Only to End Up Ruined
Type 10: Robbery
A Fake Scion Rents Rooms and Robs a Widow
Highway Robbery at a Shop in the Capital
Type 11: Violence
Acquiring a Bedroll by Marking It in Secret
Stealing Silver by Throwing Lime in the Eyes
Robbed by Crooks in Broad Daylight While Taking a Dump
Type 12: On Boats
Luggage Aboard a Boat Disappears, Along with a Servant
A New Concubine Is Kidnapped from a Boat at Night
A Purchase of Copperware Incites Boatmen to Murder
Loading Cargo Onto the Wrong Boat
Type 14: Fake Silver
Passing Whitewashed Ingots in Maozhou
Type 15: Government Underlings
A Trumped-Up Death Sentence Is Commuted to Exile
Type 16: Marriage
Matchmakers Defraud a Provincial Graduate Seeking to Marry a Lady of Rank
A Marriage Scam of Passion Comes to Light Because of a Frog
Type 17: Illicit Passion
Money and Guile Buy a Paper Maker's Wife
A Monk Seduces a Tenant Farmer's Wife with a Length of Silk
Robbed of Silver After Fornicating with a Maidservant
Fleeced After an Affair with a Broker's Daughter
Type 18: Women
A Man Rapes His Daughter-in-Law and Then Tricks Her Mother Into Sex
A Tenant Farmer's Wife Is Prostituted to Steal the Master's Land
Type 19: Kidnapping
A Gang Blinds and Amputates Children, Leaving Them Maimed
Type 21: Monks and Priests
Believing a Deceitful Monk Leads to a Chain of Calamities
A Buddhist Monk Impersonates a Guardian Deity to Scam a Donation
Scamming a Silk Robe with Feigned Foresight
Type 22: Alchemy
An Alchemist in a Pit Uses Talismans to Escape
Type 23: Sorcery
Magic Reflections in Water Incite a Rebellion
A Villain Kidnaps Boys by Touching Their Face
Appendix: Story Finding List
Bibliography