The Yellow Emperor (Huangdi) is a legendary sovereign of high antiquity, revered as the progenitor of the Huaxia (early Chinese) people. Said to be the son of Shaodian, he originally bore the surname Gongsun. Because he resided at Xuanyuan Hill, he was also known as Xuanyuan Shi (“Master of Xuanyuan”). Later, after settling near…
Long ago, when the world was in great danger, ten suns appeared together in the sky. The intense heat burned crops, dried rivers, and made people suffer terribly. Many died from hunger and heat.
Zhinü (“Weaver Girl”) is an ancient Chinese star name, also known as Tiansun (“Granddaughter of Heaven”). It refers to an asterism of three stars arranged in a triangular formation, located on the western side of the Milky Way, directly opposite the Niulang (Cowherd) stars on the eastern bank.
Niulang (“Cowherd”) is an ancient Chinese star name, also known as Qian Niu (“Heavenly Cowherd”). It refers to an asterism composed of three stars located on the eastern side of the Milky Way, directly opposite the star Zhinü (“Weaver Girl”) – identified with Vega in Western astronomy – on the western bank.
“Huaguzi” in Strange Tales from Liaozhai recounts a love story between a human and a supernatural being (a woman transformed from a musk deer spirit), filled with fantastical elements and profound moral symbolism.
An Youyu, an outstanding scholar from Shaanxi, was generous and loyal to his friends. He also loved to free captive animals. When he saw hunters capturing animals or birds, he would not hesitate to buy the game and set it free.
Strange Tales from Liaozhai’s “The Cloth Merchant”(or “The Cloth Dealer”) tells a peculiar yet touching story about a cloth merchant and a ghost.
A man from Changqing County, Shandong, lived by selling cloth. While he was in Taian, Jiangsu, he heard there was a very good fortune teller, so he asked the man to forecast his future. The fortune teller told him:”You’re in trouble. Hurry home.”