• The transactional bond between the Chivalrous Maiden and Scholar Gu

    In Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio: The Chivalrous Maiden, the relationship between the maiden and scholar Gu is complex and ambiguous — devoid of traditional “romantic love.” Their interactions orbit obligation, mission, and ethics, marked by restraint, detachment, and pragmatism rather than mutual affection.

  • Duty over desire in “The Chivalrous Maiden”

    Strange Tales from Liaozhai: The Chivalrous Maiden intertwines loyalty, filial piety, justice, and the supernatural. Centered on the bond between impoverished scholar Gu and his enigmatic neighbor—a woman concealing her identity to avenge her father—it explores complex human-nonhuman dynamics and moral choices.

  • Protected: The Chivalrous Girl

    There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

  • The wine companion and transcendent friendship

    Strange Tales from Liaozhai: The Wine Companion (Drinking Pal) recounts the bond between impoverished scholar Che and a fox spirit, celebrating friendship, trust, and wisdom across supernatural boundaries.

  • Drinking Pal

    Che’s family was not wealthy, but he had a craze for liquor. He couldn’t sleep without drinking three big cups at night. So, the liquor bottle by his bed was never left empty.

  • Sharp Knife

    During the last years of the Ming Dynasty, there were many bandits in the territory of Jinan, Shandong Province. Troops in the various counties were reinforced and they killed all they arrested.