Translation of the given content into English: Classical Chinese Novel Translation and Annotation Series (Second Series) -- A Dream of Red Mansions

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 the settings of most stories taking place in the underworld or celestial realms, and the characters are mostly flower spirits and fox fairies. The book is renowned worldwide for recording tales of gods, immortals, fox spirits, ghosts, and supernatural beings. In reality, it exposes the darkness of feudal society and criticizes the unreasonable imperial examination system and marriage system. The work frequently employs romanticism in its creation, characterized by rich imagination, unique plots, intricate narratives, and eerie, supernatural realms. Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio had already been copied and passed down during the author's lifetime. The Zhuxuezhai Manuscript from the 16th year of the Qianlong reign (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.