SuaveG – The Gentle Path

Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature

Liao Zhai Zhi Yi

  • A tale of lingering fear – The Peasant

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    Ana

    “The Peasant” is a highly allegorical story in Strange Tales from Liaozhai (Liaozhai Zhiyi). Through a tale of “long-standing enmity” spanning years between a peasant and a fox demon.

  • The fox spirit’s redemption in “Yatou”

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    Ana

    “Fox Spirit – Yatou” from Strange Tales from Liaozhai, a Chinese Studio, (Liaozhai Zhiyi) is a story centered around a “human-fox romance,” interwoven with themes of resistance by marginalized women, the duality of human nature, and the capriciousness of fate.

  • The Mantis that felled the Serpent

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    Ana

    “The Mantis Seizes the Snake” is a short fable from Strange Tales from Liaozhai, a Chinese Studio, (Liaozhai Zhiyi). Through a vivid natural phenomenon, it reveals how the weak may overcome a powerful adversary through wisdom and courage. Though brief, the story carries profound symbolism.

  • The Tiger’s Redemption

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    Ana

    “The Tiger of Zhao Cheng (The Repentant Tiger)” is a story from Strange Tales from Liaozhai (Liaozhai Zhiyi), recounting a tale of filial piety, vengeance, and forgiveness. Set in Zhao Cheng, the story revolves around an elderly woman and her son.

  • The foresight of the plain sister

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    Ana

    “The Sister Switch (Sisters Marrying in Each Other’s Stead)” is a story from Strange Tales from Liaozhai (Liaozhai Zhiyi), presenting a fable about marital choice and values. Centering on the contrasting attitudes of two sisters towards marriage, it reveals the conflict between superficial appearance and intrinsic worth, as well as the recognition of true…

  • Predestined fortune managed by netherworld accountant

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    Ana

    “The Treasury Official” is a concise yet profound short story from Strange Tales from Liaozhai (Liaozhai Zhiyi). Through the mysterious figure of a “Treasury Official of the Netherworld,” it showcases Pu Songling’s philosophical reflections on fate, wealth, and the vicissitudes of life.

  • The Willow Scholar’s bargain

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    Ana

    “The Willow Scholar” is a symbolic short story from Strange Tales from Liaozhai. Blending myth, fable, and social concern, it explores the relationship between humans, nature, and spirits through the resolution of a locust plague.

  • The cricket and son

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    Ana

    “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.