"Soushen Houji" (《搜神後記》), a ten-volume collection, is traditionally attributed to 干宝 (Gan Bao) of the Eastern Jin dynasty. However, this attribution is widely considered to be a forgery. The text includes a well-known entry about the "Peach Blossom Spring" (桃花源), which is a verbatim copy of the poem and preface found in the author's own collection, with the addition of a note stating that the fisherman's name is Huang Daozhen. Another entry about the servant of Gan Bao's father is also a direct copy from the 茶经 (Classic of Tea) by 陆羽 (Lu Yu).

The authenticity of "Soushen Houji" has been questioned due to several inconsistencies. For instance, the text mentions events from the years 437 and 439 (the 14th and 16th years of the Yuanjia era), which are well after the traditionally accepted death year of Tao Qian (陶潜) in 427. Additionally, Tao Qian's works often use the Chinese zodiac system to date events rather than imperial era names, which are used in "Soushen Houji." These discrepancies strongly suggest that the text is a later forgery.

Despite these issues, the language and style of "Soushen Houji" are considered to be of a high literary quality, suggesting that it was written by someone with a deep understanding of classical Chinese literature. The 茶经 by 陆羽 and the "Fengyan Jianwen Ji" (封演见闻记) both cite entries from "Soushen Houji," indicating that the text was well-known and respected in later periods. For example, the entry about a man who, due to illness, could drink a large quantity of water and later vomited a parasitic growth, is cited in the "Fengyan Jianwen Ji" and matches the version in "Soushen Houji."

Some of the stories in "Soushen Houji" have become iconic in Chinese literature and have been referenced by poets and writers for centuries. Notable examples include the story of Ding Lingwei transforming into a crane and the tale of Axiang and the thunder chariot. These stories have been widely cited in Tang and Song dynasty poetry and continue to be used in modern literature.

While the attribution to Tao Qian is likely false, "Soushen Houji" remains a valuable source of information about the beliefs and folklore of the Six Dynasties period. It provides insights into the supernatural and mythological elements that were prevalent in Chinese culture during that time.

References

• 《四庫全書總目提要·卷142 子部·小說家類三》

《搜神後記》

《搜神後記》，共十卷，舊本題為晉代陶潛所撰。該書收錄了諸多神怪故事，其中記述桃花源的篇章，全文錄用了陶潛詩序的內容，僅在注釋中增加了「漁人姓黃名道真」七字。此外，該書還記載了幹寶父親婢女的故事，完全抄錄自《晉書》，剽竊的痕跡十分明顯。

明末沈士龍在跋文中指出，陶潛卒於元嘉四年（427年），而《搜神後記》中卻記載了元嘉十四年（437年）和十六年（439年）的事件。陶潛的作品中多不使用年號，而是以幹支代替，而《搜神後記》則使用了「永初」、「元嘉」等年號，因此可以斷定此書為偽托之作。然而，該書文詞古雅，並非唐代以後的人所能為。《隋書·經籍志》中已有《搜神後記》的記載，並稱為陶潛所作，可見此書的偽托歷史已久。

陸羽《茶經》中引用了《搜神後記》中的「晉武帝時宣城秦精入武昌山採茗」的故事，與現存版本相符合。《封演見聞記》中引用的「有人因病能飲斛二斗，後吐出一物」的故事，也與《搜神後記》桓宣武督將的故事相符，僅文詞有詳略之分，以及「牛肺」字作「土肚」、「茗瘕」字作「斛二瘕」的差異，但其內容仍與現存版本吻合，說明現存的《搜神後記》仍為古本。

《搜神後記》中有「丁令威化鶴」、「阿香雷車」等故事，被唐宋詞人廣泛引用，一直傳承至今。雖然該書題為陶潛所撰的說法不成立，但仍可視為六朝遺書，具有重要的文學和歷史價值。