The Liang dynasty (502-557) is one of the most brilliant and creative periods in Chinese history and one of the most underestimated and misunderstood. Under the Liang, literary activities, such as writing, editing, anthologizing, and cataloguing, were pursued on an unprecedented scale, yet the works of this era are often dismissed as "decadent" and no more than a shallow prelude to the glories of the Tang.This book is devoted to contextualizing the literary culture of this era - not only the literary works themselves but also the physical process of literary production such as the copying and transmitting of texts; activities such as book collecting, anthologizing, cataloguing, and various forms of literary scholarship; and the intricate interaction of religion, particularly Buddhism, and literature. Its aim is to explore the impact of social and political structure on the literary world.

宇文秋水，13岁进北大的才女，成名作《秋水堂论金瓶梅》，将绣像与词话二本对勘，而论绣像本悲天悯人之佛教情怀，文笔清隽，覃思妙悟，往往而是。新作《尘几录》，研究陶渊明与手抄本传播之关系。此书仍延续前作之方法，从物质文化的角度切入梁朝文化。田氏素喜南朝诗，相信能有新见。今年宇文所安来北大讲学时说作者正在自译此书，估计不久会有中文出版。