<jats:p>Through an analysis of the narrative and rhetoric of dozens of Song<jats:italic>biji</jats:italic>prefaces, this study illustrates the way in which casual conversation was represented and transformed into writing, and how<jats:italic>biji</jats:italic>writers articulated the utility and consumption of their work. This study highlights the increasing importance of oral instruction and personal experience as legitimate modes of elite communication. The growing visibility of informal social scenes in<jats:italic>biji</jats:italic>works and their celebration of those who participated in and contributed to entertaining activities serve as strong evidence of a changing elite self-identification that characterized the major social and cultural transformations in the Song period.</jats:p>