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''The Travels of Lao Can'' (, or "The Travels of an old wreck") was a novel by Liu E (1857-1909), written in 1903-04〔(Barbara Stoler Miller, Masterworks of Asian Literature in Comparative Perspective: A Guide for Teaching, published by M.E. Sharpe, 1994 )〕 and published in 1907. Thinly disguising his own views in those of the physician hero, Liu describes the rise of the Boxers in the countryside, the decay of the Yellow River control system, and the hypocritical incompetence of the bureaucracy. The novel, a social satire〔(The Travels of Lao Can )〕 that showed the limits of the old elite and officialdom, was an immediate success. The novel serves as an in-depth look into the everyday lives of "peasantry" in the late Qing period.〔http://history.cultural-china.com/en/60History3805.html〕 The first 13 chapters were serialized in the bi-weekly ''Xiuxiang Xiaoshuo'' (; literally "Illustrated Fiction" or "Fiction Illustrated") from March 1903 to January 1904, in issues 9 through 18. It was later printed in the ''Tianjin Riri Xinwen Bao'' (〔United States Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, (p. 188 ).〕) in a 20 chapter version with a prologue included.〔Doleželová-Velingerová, p. (724 ).〕 ==Plot== In the prologue Lao Can (T: 老殘, S: 老残, P: ''Lǎo Cán'', W: ''Lao Ts'an''; "Old Decrepit"), a traveling medical practitioner, dreams of China being a sinking ship. After the dream ends, Lao Can goes on a journey to fix the problems experienced by China. In the story Lao Can attempts to correct injustices, change attitudes towards women, and engage in philosophical discussions about China's future.〔 Within portions of the novel Lao Can acts as a detective in several small crime-related plots.〔Doleželová-Velingerová, p. (725 ).〕 Milena Doleželová-Velingerová, author of "Fiction from the End of the Empire to the Beginning of the Republic (1897-1916)", wrote that the integration of the detective subplots, "entirely dissimilar to its lyrical components," "makes the novel so innovative."〔Doleželová-Velingerová, p. (724 )-(725 ).〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Travels of Lao Can」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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