family reunion

  • Chang’e Flies to the Moon

    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.

  • The Five Sheepskins [Spring & Autumn]

    Brief: This article recounts the legendary recruitment of Baili Xi by Duke Mu of Qin. It details how Duke Mu, seeking talent, discovered Baili Xi was herding horses in Chu. To avoid alerting the Chu king to Baili Xi’s value, Duke Mu ransomed him for merely five sheepskins, pretending he was just a fugitive…

  • Cultural encounter in “Yaksha Kingdom”

    Strange Tales from Liaozhai: Yaksha Kingdom (The Land of Demons) narrates merchant Xu’s extraordinary odyssey. Shipwrecked during a storm, he washes ashore in a valley inhabited by Yaksha (savage humanoid demons). Initially terrified, Xu gradually wins their trust by teaching them cooked food, eventually marrying a female Yaksha.

  • Desire, destruction and supernatural justice in “Huang Jiulang”

    “Huang Jiulang” from Liaozhai Zhiyi(Strange Tales from Liaozhai) recounts the tale of He Zixiao, a scholar from Zhejiang with an attraction to men.

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

    “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).

  • Zhang Cheng

    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.