This project aims to investigate the development of Chan Buddhist hagiographic literature from mid-Tang (ca. 750) to early Northern Song (960–1127) China, concentrating on the emergence of the so-called “lamp records” (denglu 燈錄) which were formative in establishing Chan/Zen Buddhism as an integrated tradition. The study examines lamp records as a literary genre through the two earliest extant witnesses: the locally produced Zutang ji 祖堂集 (Collection of the Patriarchal Hall;ca. mid-10th century) and the imperially sanctioned Jingde chuandeng lu 景德傳燈錄 (Jingde-Era [1004–1008] Record of the Transmission of the Lamp;ca. 1009). Recent scholarship on lamp records has focused primarily on the political connections of their compilers and how support from local rulers and scholar-officials influenced the content and structure of the works. By contrast, my project explores hitherto neglected aspects of textual history, literary motifs, and editorial practices. The study’s primary objectives are to: (1) identify and describe literary and structural characteristics of early lamp records to contribute to a much-needed literary history of Chan Buddhism, (2) survey historical testimonies on the nature, functions, and uses of lamp records from the perspective of Chan monastics and scholar-officials, and (3) clarify the relationship between the emergence of lamp records and the formation of Chan as a distinct “school” within the Chinese Buddhist landscape.