• Scholar Huo

    Scholar Huo and Scholar Yan of Wendeng County, Shandong Province, were playmates in their childhood and often teased each other even after they grew up, trying hard to get the upper hand in those exchanges.

  • Love beyond life and status in “Lian Cheng”

    Strange Tales from Liaozhai (a Chinese Studio): Lian Cheng tells a poignant love story between the talented scholar Qiao and the wealthy maiden Lian Cheng. Though Lian Cheng admires Qiao’s brilliance, her father, Shi Xiaolian, rejects their union due to Qiao’s poverty, instead betrothing her to Wang Huacheng, son of a rich salt merchant.

  • Lian Cheng

    Scholar Qiao of Jinning was hailed as a genius at an early age, but was still frustrated and unrecognized in his twenties. He was a man of chivalrous qualities.

  • Cultural encounter in “Yaksha Kingdom”

    Strange Tales from Liaozhai: Yaksha Kingdom (The Land of Demons) narrates merchant Xu’s extraordinary odyssey. Shipwrecked during a storm, he washes ashore in a valley inhabited by Yaksha (savage humanoid demons). Initially terrified, Xu gradually wins their trust by teaching them cooked food, eventually marrying a female Yaksha.

  • Yaksha Kingdom

    There was a merchant named Xu in Jiaozhou. One day his boat was caught in a big storm at sea and he lost control of it. When the storm died down, he opened his eyes and found himself in a jungle valley. He wished he could encounter some people there, so he took a…

  • Celestial encounters and earthly choices in “Bai Yuyu”

    In Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio – Liaozhai: Bai Yuyu, the gifted scholar Wu Qing’an (also named Wu Jun) attracts attention in his youth for literary talent. A court historian promises his daughter’s marriage if Wu succeeds in imperial exams. After failing the county-level examination, Wu perseveres in studies.