SuaveG – The Gentle Path

Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature

  • The Fox of Wei County

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    Ana

    The Li Family in Wei County, Shandong Province, owned a villa. One day, an old man suddenly came along and said he was willing to pay fifty taels of silver a year to rent the house. The owner agreed.

  • “Qiao Niang”: a story weaving supernatural romance: scholar, fox spirit and ghost

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    Ana

    “Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio: Qiao Niang” is a story weaving supernatural fantasy (fox spirits and ghosts), entangled passions, and human redemption. Pu Songling delicately portrays the emotional collisions between humans and the otherworldly (foxes and ghosts).

  • Protected: Qiaoniang

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    Ana

    There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

  • Ventriloquism

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    Ana

    A woman in her mid-twenties came to our village, carrying a medicine bag on her arm and offering medical treatment. Someone went to her to have an illness treated. The woman could not make up a prescription herself: she had to wait till nightfall and take counsel with spirits.

  • Fraternal devotion amidst adversity in “Zhang Cheng”

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    Ana

    “Zhang Cheng” from Strange Tales from Liaozhai recounts a poignant narrative of family loyalty and destiny intertwined. The story centers on two half-brothers, Zhang Ne and Zhang Cheng, whose profound bond and mutual support in hardship illuminate both the beauty and complexity of human nature.

  • Zhang Cheng

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    Ana

    There was a man surnamed Zhang in Henan Province whose ancestors were from Shandong. During the latter part of the Ming Dynasty, when Shandong was in wide-spread turmoil, his wife was captured and taken away by Manchu soldiers. After that, as Zhang often used to travel to Henan, he decided to settle down there.