• The Fox-Teacher

    A rich family in Zhili, Hebei, was trying to find a teacher for their children.

  • The mirage in “The Daoist Priest”

    In Strange Tales from Liaozhai: The Daoist Priest, a ragged Daoist priest befriends Scholar Han — a nobleman fond of hosting banquets — and his neighbor Xu.

  • Taoist Priest

    Scholar Han, descendant of a well-known aristocratic family, was very fond of guests. A man named Xu in the same village often went to his place to drink.

  • Sad poem of the Fourth Lady Lin

    “Lin Siniang”(Fourth Lady Lin) is one of the most poignant chapters in Strange Tales from Liaozhai), rich in the sorrow of the rise and fall of dynasties. It tells the story of a female ghost’s interaction with a governor, and through her singing, laments the downfall of a lost dynasty.

  • Fourth Lady Lin

    Chen Baoyue, a native of Fujian Province, was the chief executive of Qinzhou dao (Trans. Note: Dao in ancient China was an administrative division under the province).

  • Why did the fox spirit refuse to meet the county magistrate?

    “Strange Tales from Liaozhai: The Fox of Wei River” recounts an incident at the Li family villa in Wei County, Shandong. An elderly man proposed renting the villa for fifty taels of silver annually. Though initially delayed by an auspicious date, he later prepaid the full year’s rent.