Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature
“Cricket” is a short story from the collection Strange Tales from Liaozhai by the Qing Dynasty writer Pu Songling. Through a story about a cricket, it profoundly reflects the hardships of life and social injustice endured by the lower classes in feudal society.
The conflict between Wu Chengxiu (representing “merchants” and the wealthy class) and the censor’s younger brother (representing “officials” and power networks) in Strange Tales from Liaozhai: Tian Qilang may seem to stem from a servant’s misconduct, but it actually tears away the cruel veil of “struggles between officials and merchants” in feudal society.