The Origin of HAN Yu’s Crocodile-Driving Incident as Recorded in Old History of Tang Dynasty and New History of Tang Dynasty: Comment on HAN’s On Crocodiles

HAN Yu (768-824), a well-known litterateur, drove away crocodiles in Chaozhou, which was recorded both in Old History of Tang Dynasty and New Old History of Tang Dynasty. The driving tinged with supernatural elements, leading some scholars to criticize the litterateur for fabricating stories and deceiving the world. In reality, he did not engage in any sacrificial rituals or repelling crocodiles. These accounts were fabricated by the authors of Old History of Tang Dynasty and New History of Tang Dynasty based on anecdotes from Xuanshi Zhi (Records of Xuanshi), which is a collection of legendary novels from the Tang Dynasty. Additionally, HAN himself once wrote a playful piece titled On Crocodiles, which many mistakenly took to be a genuine sacrificial text or proclamation. Consequently, the mistake gave rise to various misunderstandings.