SuaveG – The Gentle Path

Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature

  • Encounter in Fengdu

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    Ana

    There was a cave outside the county town of Fengdu in Sichuan Province. It was unfathomable. It was said that this was the entrance to Hades of the King of Hell.

  • Treasury Ward

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    Ana

    During the reign of Ming Emperor Wanli, Zhang Huadong of Zouping County, Shandong Province, was a court official. He had accepted an order from the emperor to offer sacrifices on sacred Mount Hengshan, which was situated in southern Hunan Province. On his way south, he was crossing Jiangsu and Anhui provinces.

  • The Willow Scholar’s bargain

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    Ana

    “The Willow Scholar” is a symbolic short story from Strange Tales from Liaozhai. Blending myth, fable, and social concern, it explores the relationship between humans, nature, and spirits through the resolution of a locust plague.

  • Scholar Liu

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    Ana

    In the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Qingzhou and Yanzhou areas of Shandong Province were infested with swarms of locusts. The locusts gradually moved to Yixian County. The county magistrate was very worried about the matter.

  • The cricket and son

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    Ana

    “Cricket” is a short story from the collection Strange Tales from Liaozhai by the Qing Dynasty writer Pu Songling. Through a story about a cricket, it profoundly reflects the hardships of life and social injustice endured by the lower classes in feudal society.

  • The Cricket

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    Ana

    During the Xuande Reign period of the Ming Dynasty, cricket fighting became a popular amusement in the imperial palace. Every year, the insects were collected from localities across the country.