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Ghosts Weeping
From Liaozhai, set after the Xie‑Qian rebellion’s massacre, this tale tells how official Wang Qixiang’s house gets haunted. Ghosts mock his worldly power; only a Buddhist Water‑and‑Land ritual pacifies these aggrieved spirits.
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The Fox in the Bottle
This tale is a rare instance of a woman taking direct, decisive action against a supernatural tormentor, without the help of priests or exorcists. Her cleverness – observing the fox’s habit, waiting for the right moment, and using domestic tools (bottle, wadding, cauldron) – turns her from a passive victim into an active victor.…
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The Monk’s Punishment
From Liaozhai, Mr. Zhang is wrongly taken to the underworld and witnesses his sinful monk‑brother’s hellish torture. Revived, he finds the monk bears matching physical agony, who then recovers through sincere repentance.
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The Hail God
From Liaozhai, this tale tells of upright official Wang Yuncang visiting the Celestial Master. Learning the Hail‑God will strike his hometown, he pleads for mercy. The deity diverts most hail to valleys, sparing farm crops.
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When ghosts meet a good man – Reflections on “The Haunted House”
This reflection on The Haunted House introduces real‑life official Li Huaxi. It explores why Pu Songling set the ghost tale in his mansion, noting harmless phantoms and the moral that good deeds ward off evil spirits.