represents a special case in the historical process, as it developed structural and motif-oriented patterns that brought it close to structurally "modern" science fiction in terms of the epistemological basis of Chinese science and technology history. Written in the style of the classic Water Margin , but by a militarist thinker from the background of jingshi zhiyong ¿¿¿¿ (literally meaning "managing the world by extending practical utility") in 19th-century Jiangnan, Records of Quelling the Bandits serves as a vivid example of how contemporary Chinese discourses of innovation and practical knowledge were imbedded in established literary frameworks. It was this combination of rationality and pragmatism with classical poetics and literary motifs that pushed images of traditional fiction, hearsay and legend towards speculative technology and theoretical thought experiments, thus providing the basis for the translation-inspired early modern science fiction novel from the end of the century.