Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio

Author: Pu Songling
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-07-01
Features: Brilliant and dazzling. Must be read. Must be collected. Knights-errant and righteous men, leaning on their long swords, aim to eliminate all injustices in the world. Fox spirits, ghosts, and supernatural beings, all appear on stage as lovers in this world. An immortal work by the great Qing Dynasty writer Pu Songling. The pinnacle of ancient Chinese short stories, exemplified by Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. Except for Dream of the Red Chamber, no classical Chinese novel surpasses it.
● Depicts corrupt officials and tyrannical gentry, all with ugly faces, colluding in mischief. The underworld is filled with darkness, and the city of the dead lacks sunlight. In a world of bullies, officials are half thieves—these people deserve to be killed.
● Portrays the harm of the imperial examination system, where candidates babble like parrots, and examiners are blind. Outstanding scholars are rejected while mediocre ones advance. Those who pass boast proudly, while those who fail suffer in obscurity for half their lives. A world of sorrow, with nowhere to turn for comfort.
● Celebrates love, portraying lovelorn men and women as utterly captivating. Sincere and pure, unyielding in life and death.
● Depicts women as either smiling while plucking flowers, charmingly naive; or gentle and free-spirited, all beautiful, intelligent, elegant, and poetic.