Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio

Author: Chen Fang
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-05-01
Features: Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio is a collection of classical Chinese short stories, with most of the settings taking place in the underworld or fairy realms, and the characters are predominantly supernatural beings like flowers, demons, and fox spirits. The book is renowned worldwide for recording tales of gods, immortals, fox spirits, and other supernatural beings, but in reality, it exposes the darkness of feudal society and criticizes the unreasonable imperial examination system and marriage system. The work often employs romanticism in its creation, characterized by rich imagination, unique plots, intricate storytelling, and eerie, supernatural settings. Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio was already circulating in handwritten copies during the author's lifetime. The Zhuxuezhai Manuscript from the 16th year of the Qianlong era (1751) is one of the earlier copies. In 1962, Zhonghua Book Company published a revised, annotated, and critically evaluated edition, which includes a total of 491 stories. Based on this edition, twenty-eight stories have been selected for annotation and translation.