Strange Tales from Liaozhai Studio’s “The Fox’s Daughter Wedding” recounts the journey of Yin, an impoverished scholar from Licheng, Shandong, famed for his audacity.
Challenged by peers to spend a night in an abandoned aristocratic manor — reportedly haunted and overgrown with brambles, shunned even by daylight — Yin accepts the wager.
Alone under moonlight, he feigns sleep as spectral festivities unfold: a fox wedding procession materializes with bride, groom, and ethereal guests. Though Yin disguises his wakefulness, the fox spirits detect him, beseeching his mercy. Participating in their rites, he discreetly pockets a golden chalice as testimony. Years later, as magistrate of Feiqiu, Yin recognizes an identical chalice at a banquet, unveiling the foxes’ power to borrow distant objects yet scrupulously return them — never claiming possession.
Allegorical Meaning
Courage and Wit
Yin’s actions exemplify exceptional bravery and ingenuity. Confronting the unknown, he not only refuses to retreat but uses wisdom to gain invaluable experience and tangible rewards (the golden wine cup). This teaches that facing challenges demands courage paired with adaptability.
Human-Supernatural Harmony
The tale depicts potential harmony between humans and spirits (e.g., fox immortals). By respecting their customs (e.g., attending the fox wedding), Yin builds mutual understanding, implying that diverse cultures/societies should embrace coexistence.
Integrity and Respect
Yin demonstrates profound respect for the fox family:
- He participates in rituals without intrusion.
- He takes only one cup as a memento — never exploiting access for greed.
The foxes scrupulously returned the wine cups — never claiming possession; Yin eventually returned the wine cup to its owner.
This underscores integrity and reverence for others’ possessions.
The Foxes’ Wedding transcends fantasy, using allegory to explore courage, wisdom, cross-cultural ethics, and inter-world dialogue. The banquet in the deserted mansion leaves Yin not with fear of the “uncanny,” but with inter-species kindness and respect — Pu Songling’s ultimate message: humanity’s rarest treasure lies not in “clan solidarity,” but in warmth forged across differences.
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