Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature
The story “Yingning” from Strange Tales from Liaozhai is a classic short story written by Pu Songling, a writer from the Qing Dynasty. This tale centers around the romantic relationship between the protagonist, Scholar Wang, and Yingning, and is filled with elements of fantasy and profound social commentary.
Wang Zifu was a native of Luodian in Luxian County, Shandong Province. His father died when he was still a child. Being extraordinarily clever, he passed the imperial examination at the local level and became a xiucai at the age of fourteen.