{"product_id":"traditions-of-exemplary-transcendents-by-liu-xiang-79-8-bce-hardcover","title":"Traditions of Exemplary Transcendents by Liu Xiang (79-8 Bce) - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eRobert Ford Campany\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eSarah M. Allen\u003c\/b\u003e (Editor), \u003cb\u003eXiaofei Tian\u003c\/b\u003e (Editor)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBy the middle of the third century BCE, some people in China had begun to imagine it possible to employ esoteric methods to refashion themselves into posthuman beings with spirit-like capabilities, enhanced bodies, and greatly extended lifespans. Such beings were termed transcendents (\u003cem\u003exian\u003c\/em\u003e 仙). \u003cem\u003eTraditions of Exemplary Transcendents\u003c\/em\u003e (\u003cem\u003eLiexian zhuan\u003c\/em\u003e 列仙傳), attributed to the imperial bibliographer Liu Xiang 劉向 (79-8 BCE), is the earliest extant collection of colorful stories about such figures. This volume makes available a critical edition and the first complete, annotated English translation of a text preserving some of the earliest mentions of alchemical, dietary, and medicinal methods of self-cultivation that later became standard in transcendence-seekers' repertoire of practices. Through this work we can already glimpse the sorts of engagements with local communities that made the quest for transcendence a matter of keen interest not just to practitioners themselves but to many in Chinese society for centuries thereafter.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRobert Ford Campany\u003c\/strong\u003e, Vanderbilt University, Nashville TN, USA.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 200\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.63 x 8 x 5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e May 04, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53423122612531,"sku":"9783112236871","price":73.67,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0300\/5595\/6612\/files\/nyKEi7-wDh9783112236871.webp?v=1780476701","url":"https:\/\/www.vysn.com\/products\/traditions-of-exemplary-transcendents-by-liu-xiang-79-8-bce-hardcover","provider":"VYSN","version":"1.0","type":"link"}