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Confrontation and compromise: The worlds of the supernatural and humans in Pu Song-Ling's "Liaozhai Zhiyi"
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Confrontation and compromise: The worlds of the supernatural and humans in Pu Song-Ling's "Liaozhai Zhiyi"
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CONFRONTATION AND COMPROMISE: THE WORLDS OF
THE SUPERNATURAL AND HUMANS IN PU SONG-LING’S
LIAOZHAIZHIYI
by
Xiao Wang
A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF ARTS
(East Asian Languages and Cultures)
December 2000
Copyright 2000 Xiao Wang
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UMI Number: 1407928
®
UMI
UMI Microform 1407928
Copyright 2002 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company.
All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against
unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code.
ProQuest Information and Learning Company
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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
The Graduate School
University Park
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90089-1695
This thesis, w ritten b y
Under th e direction o f h£fc. Thesis
Com m ittee, an d approved b y a ll its members,
has been p resen ted to and accepted b y The
Graduate School, in p a rtia l fulfillm ent o f
D ate December 18, 2000
THESIS COMMITTEE
requirem ents fo r th e degree o f
Mfifkc- o f A th
Dean o f Graduate Studies
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For My Parents
With Love and Gratitude
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Acknowledgments
This work is a very good record of most of my life at USC. Among people
involved, Professor Bettine Birge, Professor George Hayden and Prof. Dominic
Cheung are the individuals to whom I should offer special thanks here: to Professor
Bettine Birge, for her leading me to read those works in a new perspective through
her courses; to Professor George Hayden, for his great patience and readiness to help
in every stage of the work; to Professor Dominic Cheung, thanks will extend to every
aspect, for he is the mentor not only in my studies but also in my spirit.
Jim and Mary, the names of my most cherished friends, should also appear here.
Without them my days in the States would have been somewhat different.
Yuan Yuan, Gang Song, Lance Kolekebeck, Hyo-kyung Choi and Sean
O ’Connell also deserve my thanks here. I will forever miss the nice times we have
shared together and the support we have given to each other.
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Notes from the author
All transcriptions of Chinese are in pinyin, except for cases in which a different
system, usually the Wade-Giles, is used originally in a quoted text.
Translations, if not acknowledged, are done by me.
The MLA (Modern Language Association ) format and document style is adopted
with two exceptions: 1) If there is a conflict between the MLA style and the
regulations of the University of Southern California, the latter takes precedence. 2)
Magazine and newspaper articles quoted in the thesis are noted in the end of each
chapter instead of being included in bibliographic entries.
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Table of Contents
Dedication..................................................................................................................ii
Acknowledgments.....................................................................................................iii
Notes from the author..............................................................................................iv
CHAPTER ONE
Pu Song-ling’s Life and His Frustrations................................................................ 1
A Frustrated Scholar in Civil Examinations................................................................1
A Frustrated Scholar in “the Literary Inquisition”......................................................3
The Studio of the Strange: an Outlet of Frustrations................................................. 5
The Studio of the Strange: Construction of an Ideal Realm..................................... 6
Pu Song-ling: Recorder of Human Conditions and Analyst of Human Nature 7
CHAPTER TWO
The World of the Supernatural as a Contrast to the World of Humans.............13
Women in the World of the Humans..........................................................................13
The Studio of the Strange: a Habitat with the Supernaturals
Having Human Dignity.......................................................................................... 14
A Society Bound by Trust and Attachment with Each Other................................. 18
Women Venturing beyond the Inner Chamber.........................................................20
CHAPTER THREE
The Underworld as a Representation of the world of the Humans.................... 33
Hell as a Representation of the Corruption and Injustice in
the World of the Humans.......................................................................................33
The Other World as a Reflection of the Injustice of
the Civil Examinations..........................................................................................40
CHAPTER FOUR
From Confrontation to Compromise: The World of the Supernaturals and the
World of the Humans...............................................................................................50
Compromise of the Two Worlds............................................................................... 50
What Is an Ideal World Like?.....................................................................................56
Attachment................................................................................................................66
Bibliography.............................................................................................................. 99
V
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Chapter 1
Pu Song-ling’s Life and His Frustrations
It was from the perspective of a frustrated scholar that Pu Song-ling (1640-1715
A.D.) observed and recorded life in his age in his works of Liaozhai zhiyi (The
Studio o f the Strange) '. He himself in the preface to LZZY called it his “ book of
isolated indignation” 2.
A Frustrated Scholar in Civil Examinations
The writing of LZZY was a deviation of a Confucian scholar from the expected
path of officialdom in traditional times. The stories in LZZY reveal the life-long but
unsuccessful efforts of Pu Song-ling to rank high in civil examinations and
government service.
Pu Song-ling was born in a prosperous family of landlords and merchants with
scholar-gentry tradition. Accounts indicate that his great-grandfather, Pu Zhi-fang,
was a first-degree holder in the civil examinations of the Ming dynasty. There was a
granduncle called Pu Sheng-wen who even got the highest degree of jinshi
(presented scholar). Pu Song-ling’s father followed the family tradition and had
made several attempts in the civil examinations. However, he never even got the first
degree. In frustration, he turned to business. But he never gave up hope. He educated
his sons with Confucian classics and pushed them forward to the challenges of civil
1
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examinations. Records of this family background are found in Pu Song-ling ji
0Collection ofP u Song-ling):
My father, the Honorable (Pu) Min-wu (named Pan), showed talent
in his youth and was fond of study; he followed Dao (An, 1315-71)
and Teng (Yi-zan, 1542-99) in his literary style but failed to pass
the first-degree examination (after several tries). As the family was
very poor, he gave up study and went in for trade, and in about
twenty years became rich. But when he was over forty and had
no son, he stopped making money and stayed at home studying,
never leaving his books, so that even well-learned scholars
could no longer equal the erudition and depth of his scholarship.
Then his first wife gave birth to three sons, his second wife
to one; and when they reached their teens he taught them himself.3
Pu Song-ling grew to be ambitious toward Confucian statesmanship 4. He spent
most of his time reading classical canons of Confucianism, practicing writing
examination papers in the form of eight-legged essays and improving literary as well
as intellectual skills to prepare himself for the civil examinations. At the age of
nineteen, when he for the first time took part in the civil examination, he ranked first
in three consecutive examinations. However, this success marked the beginning of
his almost life-long tragedy: ever since then he was rejected repeatedly in subsequent
provincial examinations. He lived a poor life, managing his household by serving as
a private tutor in rich families. The irony was that at the age of seventy-one he got a
title of suigong (annual-tribute student or imperial student by seniority) with his
persistent struggles.
Feelings of shame and disgrace followed each failure. His hopelessness and
despair were expressed in his thanks to a friend for his words of comfort:
2
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I felt that suddenly a thousand ladles of cold sweat wetted my clothes.
(I felt) My soul left my body, and I became completely numb, without
any feeling of pain and itch. I sat senselessly, and vainly hoped that I
was only in a bad dream ! I ask, what evil did I commit in my
previous life to deserve such a cruel punishment?5
A Frustrated Scholar in “the Literary Inquisition”
Pu Song-ling experienced personal vicissitudes in an age full of transformations
and crises brought by the take-over of power by the alien Manchus. He saw turmoils
and massacres, such as the suppression of the Xie-Qian uprising6 in his home
district of Zi -Chuan. He witnessed arrest, imprisonment and even executions
brought by doubts of disloyalty from the new power. These horrors were kept in his
memories and later on transmitted to his stories, such as in “Gongsun jiuniang”
(Gongsun Nineth-Maiden)7. During this time took place the unprecedently ruthless
suppression of scholars— “ the literary inquisition”. Confucian scholars, who were
considered by the Manchus to be threatening their newly achieved power, were kept
under close watch for resistance and even the slightest dissatisfaction. Suppression
and obliteration were prevalent. The inquisition drove the literati from a respectable
position in society in the Ming dynasty to the margin of society with no security and
respect. These literati, who should have been teachers of moral and spiritual values,
found themselves suffocated by danger befalling any time for any reason. For
example, Pu Song-ling and his family would have been punished if he vented the
outrage within him.
3
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In this situation, Pu Song-ling could find an outlet of his feelings, thoughts and
ideas in no other place but his studio. He explained his extreme loneliness and
disappointment by a vivid description of of himself working hard at his LZZY:
It’s just that here it is the glimmering hour of midnight as I am about
to trim my failing lamp. Outside my bleak studio the wind I sighing;
inside my desk is cold as ice. Piercing together patches of fox fur to
make a robe, I vainly fashion a sequel to Records o f the Underworld8 .
Draining my wine cup and grasping my brush, I complete the book of
‘lonely anguish’. How sad it is that I must express myself like this!
Alas! A chilled sparrow startled by frost clings to frigid boughs, an
autumn insect mourning the moon hugs the railing for warmth. Are
the only ones who know me ‘in the green wood and at the dark
frontier’?9
Because of Pu Song-ling’s bad fortune, his personal frustration and uneasiness
loomed larger for him as compared with other scholars. This frustration and
uneasiness made him more concerned with the common people and women in their
sufferings. The latter were never recognized as independent beings with wills of their
own, but treated as beings dependent upon a male-dominated structure, and were
denied freedom and the right to seek and realize personal happiness. Adversity gave
Pu Song-ling a better understanding of the misery of others, and directed his
attention to the dire situation of human beings.
Pu Song-ling’s “isolated indignation” can be interpreted on two levels:
On a personal level, Pu Song-ling was only saddened by frustration
in the civil examinations, failure in obtaining fame, and the prospect
of imminent death without achievement. But on a different level, his
tragic consciousness was also the echo of the time. It was precisely
because of the emptiness and elusiveness of reality that he turned to
his studio for comfort: when reality only tires him, fantasy becomes
even more beautiful. 1 0
4
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The Studio of the Strange: an Outlet for Frustrations
For Pu Song-ling, those writings offered him an outlet for his feelings. In the
preface to L Z Z Y , he speaks of the involuntary and compulsive nature of his writing:
My excitement quickens: this madness is indeed irrepressible,
and so I continually give vent to my vast feelings and don’t even
forbid my folly.1 1
Actually this obsession was admired by the late Ming cult of feelings (qing) 1 2 ,
the influences of which permeated LZZY.
The age in which Pu Song-ling’s works appeared, the end of the Ming and the
beginning of the Qing, was in great fluidity. This age witnessed an economic boom
that stimulated growth, urbanization, social mobility, educational expansion, and
written communication. The socio-economic growth and a more flexible status
system led to the rise of an urban middle class and the creation of more
individualized development opportunities for them. The increase in numbers and
wealth of the middle class brought about an ever-growing reading public. This
reading public, in an age of fluidity, cherished most the primacy of heart, that is, cult
of feelings ( qing). They expected cordiality from the author: not only to be
instructed but also to be engaged in an imaginary world, to express and realize their
desires, hopes and aspirations. Pu Song-ling’s LZZY offered such a studio for
immediate satisfaction of feelings. By inviting foxes, ghosts and spirits into his tales,
by letting these beings present stories full of laughter and tears, Pu Song-ling catered
5
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to the reading public’s taste of enjoyment and their psychology of finding
compensation in another realm.
The Studio of the Strange: Construction of an Ideal Realm
These writings also offered Pu Song-ling a studio to redefine himself, to set new
goals for his life, to seek psychological readjustment, and to establish immortality in
literary history. However, this recognition came somewhat late in Pu Song-ling’s
life, at the expense of almost life-long efforts, struggles and frustrations. In his
despair, Pu Song-ling cried bitterly: “Alas, as our hopes are gone, we can only shed
tears of despair! Where can we find anyone to appreciate our talents?” 1 3 The
complexity and unpredictability of humanity, the miseries and sufferings of human
life in natural and political turmoil, the unyielding will and spirit of the human
struggle for survival and for a better life, the mystery of human fate—all these came
to him in his struggles, but he could find no solution in the human world. He then
turned to the construction of a studio of the strange, which had the possible
realization of individual expectations, hopes and aspirations.
When Pu Song-ling turned to another vehicle for expressing his ideas, he
delighted himself in the supernatural world of ghosts and were-foxes. This was not
coincidence. In fact, this was the dawning of another future in contrast with the
uncertain Confucian path. Earlier in his youth, after his second failure in the civil
examination, in his friend Li Yao-qian’s private library, Pu Song-ling began to
6
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develop an interest in such classic works as Soushen ji (Records o f the Supernatural
and the Mysterious) by Gan Bao (fl. 310-36), and Taiping guangji (Grand Records
ofTaiping) by Li Fang (925-96)1 4 . These writings presented a vivid world of the
supernatural, which stood in sharp contrast with the mundane world in which Pu
Song-ling was struggling. When Pu Song-ling was tortured by his failures in the civil
examinations in 1660 and 1663 respectively, he became inspired by these
supernatural tales, and he for a time deviated from the normal academic path he was
following. He began to write his tales of the supernatural. The earliest stories in
LZZY came into existence in the months of 1664. His devotion to the writing of
LZZY later on was, no doubt, an indication of his despair with reality and his
reconstruction of a world comfortable to live in.
Pu Song-ling: Recorder of Human Conditions and Analyst of Human Nature
By the fall of 16791 5 , Pu Song-ling had given up his ambition of being successful
in the civil examinations and turned to the writing of LZZY as his primary goal. He
named himself “yishi sh i” (Historian of the Strange). In doing so, he was comparing
himself to such historical figures as Sima Qian, Gan Bao and Qu Yuan. He looked
forward to great literary achievement, which could earn him a place in history. Pu
Song-ling had shown great sympathy for these tragic heroes, and saw them as at this
stage the same fate for himself. He would still sit for the civil examinations but
7
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wouldn’t take them as his primary goal. By redefining himself as “Historian of the
Strange”, Pu Song-ling envisioned a bright future away from the Confucian path.
Pu Song-ling’s LZZY stories embody both the world of humans and the world of
human fantasies. On one hand, LZZY stories tell much about the bitterness in life of
this world; on the other hand, an ideal realm with various harmonious relationships is
constructed. This is a new kind of history, a history transcending human existence,
which combines the real life and the fantasies and aims to present universal values.
Pu Song-ling’s personal frustration was not a single one, but a representative one.
He, with no difference from other Confucian scholars, followed the traditional path
set for a Confucian scholar. His difference from other scholars was that he turned his
frustration into a power of creativity in another realm, to the efforts of establishing
an ideal realm full of harmony. He envisioned a different kind of history and
predicted the success of humanity. That is why he presented himself as “Historian of
the Strange” in tales from LZZY'. he is not merely a scholar. He is, indeed, a recorder
of human condition and an analyst of human nature. He arouses feelings of
humanity, the power of which can transcend time and space.
Reading LZZY stories, one enters a new experience of life which involves both
this world and the other world. Pu Song-ling retells historical and national events and
interprets them in such a way that they become moving human and supernatural
stories, which absorb readers as if these stories are their own personal experience.
The world of the supernatural covers not only what have really happened but also
what emerge in people’s mind as hopes, expectations and ideals regarding human
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conditions. The studio of the strange, in its essence, is a world of universal values. Pu
Song-ling, waking up from his personal experience of misery, sufferings and
repeated failures, opened a new stage in his life as well as in history. Human
relationships are reinterpreted, and ideals involving various relationships are
established. In all these happenings the power of humanity dominates.
Personal freedom and happiness were not allowed for in the world of humans. Pu
Song-ling let people in his tales flee from this world. They might die into the world
of the supernatural, or be directly born from the world of the supernatural. He set
them into an existence free from control of any unreasonable ethics and enclosure of
boundaries, and imbued them with an ability of power and action. The glamour of
humanity brightens the other world, especially brightens the life of female
supernaturals. Tales in LZZY stories tell of women’s realization of happiness in an
ideal world, and further build up the relationship of harmony in every kind of
existence. These tales show the success of humanity.
Notes:
1. Pu Song-ling, Liaozhai zhiyi (The Studio o f the Strange ), Zhu Qi-kai et al. eds.
(Beijing: Renmin wenxue chubanshe, 1989).
In this thesis, Pu Song-ling’s works of The Studio o f the Strange is mentioned as
Liaozhai zhiyii, according to Chinese traditions, later abbreviated as LZZY.
2. Pu Song-ling, “Preface”, LZZY, p.l.
9
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3. Pu Song-ling, Pu Song-ling ji (Collection ofP u Song-ling), Lu Da-huang ed.
(Shanghai: Guji chuban she, 1986), vol.l, p.252.
4. Chang Chun-shu & Chang Shelley Hsueh-lun, Redefining History (Ann Arbor: the
University of Michigan Press, 1998), p.30. Cited as below:
In Pu Song-ling’s day, the imperial examination system consisted of
three main levels. The lowest, the Xiao-kao (elementary examination),
required three separate exams: from Tong-zi shi (or Xian-shi, examination
of district city) to chun-shi (or Fu-shi, examination at prefectural city) to
Dao-shi (circuit examination by education intendant). Successful
candidates from the Dao-shi received the sheng-yuan (government
student) status and were commonly regarded as the first degree. They
were popularly referred to as xiu-cai, or “flowering talent”.
The second level of imperial examinations was called xiang-shi
(provincial examination). These exams were held in the provincial
capital every three years. Successful candidates were awarded the
ju-ren degree ( recommended man or second degree).
The third and highest level was called hui-shi (metropolitan examination)
and was held in the imperial capital once every three years. Successful
candidates of this test received the highest degree, the j in-shi (presented
scholar).
5. Pu Song-ling Ji (Collection ofP u Song-ling) , p.726.
6. In late 1646, a native of Gao-yuan district near Pu’s hometown, Zi-chuan, revolted
against the Manchu regime. They marched from Gao-yuan southward and attacked
the nearby cities. On August 11 of that year, Xie was killed by Qing troops. The
bloodshed lasted for five days and more than 30,000 people were killed. For
reference, see Redefining History, p. 16.
7. Pu Song-ling, “Gongsun Jiuniang” (“Gongsun Nineth-Maiden”), LZZY,
pp.487-493.
10
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8. You Ming Lu (.Records o f the Underworld), a work by Liu Yi-qing in the dynasty
of Liu Song, mainly about ghosts and other strange stories.
9. Pu Song-ling, “Preface”, LZZY, p.l.
10.Li Ze-hou, Mei de licheng (The Journey fo r the Beautiful) (Taibei: Pugongying,
1986), p.206.
1 l.Pu Song-ling, “Preface”, LZZY, p.l.
12.Dorothy Ko, Teachers o f the Inner Chambers: Woman and Culture in
Seventeenth-Century China (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1994).
pp.68-115.
On page 81, “qing” is given an interpretation by quoting from Feng Meng-long
(1574-ca.l645). Feng wrote of “ qing” (love) as a supreme principle that governs
all human relationships: “ If there were no qing under heaven and earth, no being
could be bom With qing, even distant ones can be together; without qing,
even close one are rent asunder. Having qing (youqing) and not having qing
(wuqing) are worlds apart I wish to establish a religion of qing (qingjiao) and
teach all with qing; the same holds true for all other relationships. Things in this
world are like loose coins; qing is the cord. Just as loose coins are stmng together
by a cord, even those from far comers of the earth can become couples .”
13 .Pu Song-ling Ji (Collection ofP u Song-ling), pp.483-484.
14 .Pu Song-ling Ji (Collection ofP u Song-ling), pp.64-65.
15.Pu Song-ling moved to Bi Ji-you’s house in April of 1679 to work as the
grandson’s private tutor. The Bi family had one of the largest collections of books
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in northern Shandong. Thus Pu could benefit a lot from the rich family
collection.Besides, he himself got weak in health, which made him feel the
urgency to complete his LZZY. Bi and his wife’s interest in Pu’s writing and
encouragement of his work also helped him to make up his mind to concentrate
on the writing. By the fall of 1679, Pu’s life arrived at a new stage, the writing of
LZZY.
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Chapter 2
The World of the Supernatural as a Contrast to the World of Humans
Protagonists in LZZY can be grouped into three categories: women, scholars and
merchants. Women protagonists occupy a large space in the collections of LZZY, and
are presented by Pu Song-ling in most cases as ideal beings living a happy life.
Scholars are either involved in love stories or in other cases presented as victims of
the civil examinations, whose miseries are revived in hell or the underworld.
Merchants reflect the changing class stereotypes in a developing age of Ming-
dynasty economic prosperity and also the intersections between status and class. All
these protagonists live in the confrontations and intersections between the human
world and the world of the supernatural. However, harmony dominates even in
confrontations, which can always be resolved. The concept of humanity, practiced by
both the humans and the supernaturals, helps to solve the confrontations.
Women protagonists in LZZY constructs a life of their own, which enables the
realization of personal happiness and individual pursuit. Their existence is exemplary
of a successful and happy life.
Women in the World of Humans
Before we share the happiness of the female supernaturals, a few words must be
said here about the orthodoxy regarding women’s status in society in the Ming-Qing
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period Neo-Confucianism, as represented by Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi, was in
dominance in every respect of life.1 Its gender ideology governed the social relations
and experiences of women. There are mainly three principles: gender distinction,
gender subordination and chastity. By gender distinction, divisions of labor in a
family and outside the family were followed, as was reflected in the saying " men
plow and women weave" and the saying " men take charge of public life and women
confine themselves to domestic life". Gender distinctions decided gender
subordination, by which male supremacy was followed. Thus women were denied
their own wills and rights. Chastity means "one-man only" principle for women,
which forbade a widow to remarry and encouraged a rape victim to commit suicide.
Although there was relaxation of dominance of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism in
the transition from Ming to Qing, strict implementation was reestablished in the
early Qing period for the sake of centralized power.
Pu Song-ling's LZZY stories show contempt for Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism,
and advocate communication guided by the principle of humanity.
The Studio of the Strange: a Habitat with the Supernaturals Having Human Dignity
Various supernaturals are invited by Pu Song-ling into the world he constructs:
foxes, flower nymphs, plant spirits and so on. Almost all of them are females. Each
of these characters has her own temperament and her own flexibility. For example,
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Jiao-nais gentle and shy;2 Ying-ning is naive and lonely;3 Xiao-cui is clever and
ingenious;4 while Qing-feng is mild and full of tenderness.5
"The Strange Tales of Liao Zhai, however, contain such detailed and realistic
descriptions that even flower spirits and fox fairies appear human and approachable."
says Lu Xun.6 These supernaturals turn into humans in LZZY stories. They are
virtuous women with flesh and blood, feelings and emotions. They enter the world
for the sake of love: either for personal happiness (as in the case of Lian-xiang7 and
Bai Qiu-lian8 ) or to repay others with happiness (as in the case of Xiao-cui). They
hold to principles in seeking and safeguarding love: fortune and status are nothing in
their considerations; affection for each other is most important (as in the case of
Wan-xia9 and Bai Qiu-lian). For the sake of love, they can sacrifice themselves for
the well-being of the ones whom they love (as in the case of Lian-xiang); they can
even transcend the boundary between life and death as well as the boundary between
time and space (as in the case of Lian-cheng1 0 and Zhu-qing1 1 ). They keep personal
integrity from the beginning to the end. Once trust is not possible, they will withdraw
12
from or dispose of the feelings which are worthless (as in the case of Ge-jin ). They
value tmst and sincerity between people. In their actions, feelings and thoughts, they
exhibit human virtues. As a result, they lose their non-human identity and achieve
human dignity.
In the stories, we can still perceive the attributes of these supernaturals as animals
or plants. However, Pu Song-ling doesn't intend to emphasize their attributes in their
original forms. Instead, through his deliberate arrangement Pu Song-ling endows
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them with the corresponding human attributes. For example, when he deals with
flower nymphs, he chooses peony (in “Ge Jin”/ “purple Scarf’), chrysanthemum (in
“Huang Ying”1 3 ), lotus (in “Hehua San Niangzi”1 4 / “Ms. Lotus the Third”) and ilex
(in “Xiang-yu” 1 5 ). The nobility of peony, the holiness of chrysanthemum, the
persistence of ilex and the purity of lotus are all valuable properties. When Pu Song-
ling writes about such animals, as birds and insects (in “Fen Fie”/ “ Pink Butterfly”1 6
and “A-Ying” 1 7 ), it is apparent that he is inclined to present them as incarnations of
virtues, though they are physically weak. The most frequent animal is the fox.
Though foxes in LZZY stories have control of power, they never abuse power.
Instead they resort to magic power to nurture and safeguard kind feelings for others.
Instead of calling attention to the attributive properties of these supernaturals, Pu
Song-ling puts them into a network with subtle and manifold relationships, such as
kinship, friendship and love, and all the other feelings found in a human society.
Their contact with others is bound by respect for such human virtues as kindness,
self-sacrifice, faithfulness and sincerity. "Jiao-nuo" tells a moving story that covers
these beautiful feelings. The frustrated Scholar Kong fell into the miserable situation
of having no money and being unable to return home. In a maze, he met with the
family of Jiao-nuo, all of whom were transformed from foxes. He was accepted by
this family and lived happily with them: for Jiao-nuo's brother, he served as tutor; to
Jiao-nuo's cousin, he became husband; between Jiao-nuo and himself, he built up a
close friendship, the most moving relationship in the story. Tortured by the boils on
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his chest, Scholar Kong groaned bitterly, and couldn't eat and sleep. Jiao-nuo
carefully relieved him of pain by removing the boils with complicated procedures:
Whereupon she removed a bracelet from her arm, placed
it on the afflicted spot and pressed down gradually Then
the girl lifted the front of her gossamer gown with one hand
and unfastened a knife with a razor-thin blade which hung at
her waist. Holding the bracelet and grasping the knife firmly,
she cut gently along the base The girl then called for water,
which she used to cleanse the incision. She expelled a red lozenge
the size of a crossbow pellet from her mouth and placed it on the
raw flesh, then pressed downward and rolled around the wound.
When it had mad one circuit, the scholar felt heat darting-like
flame. When the lozenge had rolled around the second time,
the spot pulsated with a comfortable itching sensation. At the
end of the third circuit a refreshing coolness flooded through
his body and penetrated to the very marrow of his bones.1 8
If Jiao-nuo didn't care about Scholar Kong that much as a friend, could she do all
this wholeheartedly? Scholar Kong was so dear a friend to Jiao-nuo as she to him.
When the Jiao-nuo family was struck by thunder, Scholar Kong rushed out.
Suddenly a sharp-beaked, taloned monster appeared out of
the wind-whipped convolutions of a smoky black cloud.
It dragged a person out of the cave, then rose directly with
the dense vapor. In the oneflashing glimpse that the scholar
caught of the person's shoes and clothes, he was struck by
the thought that this was Jiao-nuo. He leapt into the air and
thrust with his sword, bringing the monster down to the ground.
At that instant the sky tore open with crashing thunder. The
scholar fell over and expired.1 9
Jiao-nuo was saved. Yet Scholar Kong fell dead, and Jiao-nuo was so regretful.
However, death and life can be transcended in the face of this true friendship. Even
Jiao-nuo herself hadn't expected that Scholar Kong could be brought back to life by
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the breath she instilled in him, but a miracle did happen. "The Historian of the
Strange" comments at the end of the story:
I envy Scholar Kong not because he found a ravishing, but
because he found a bosom friend. Looking at the face of such a
friend can make one forget hunger; listening to his voice can bring
a smile. Simply having such a good friend and visiting him sometimes
for a meal and conversation brings greater “communion between souls”
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than does love’s sweet disorder in the dress”.
A Society Bound by Mutual Trust and Attachment
These foxes, ghosts and flower nymphs come from the world of the supernatural
Their "superiority" to human beings is that they have magic power. But they never
abuse this power. They use magic power as a means of getting in touch with their
lovers, as in "Lian-xiang"; as a means of helping others, as in "Xiao-cui”; and as a
means of safeguarding any beautiful feelings, as in "Ge Jin" (“Linen Scarf”). They
live for the sake of love. They ask nothing from the persons they love and develop
their relationship to the climax of marriage, as in "Lian-cheng", or to the extent of
self-sacrificing for the well-being of others, as in "Lian-xiang", or to the end of
withdrawing when the feeling of love wanes, leaving nothing behind but beautiful
memories, as in “Ge Jin” (“Linen Scarf’)..
Ge-jin's story (“Ge Jin") shows that what they diligently seek and safeguard is
nothing but sincerity of feelings. Moved by Chang Da-yong's obsession with
peonies, the peony nymph Ge-jin followed Da-yong to Luo-yang and married him.
They developed their love affair on the basis of mutual trust and admiration. Yet
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Chang Da-yong became dubious of Ge-jin's identity as time went on. He went to
Cao-zhou to investigate her family history. Infuriated, Ge-jin and her sister dropped
their sons on the ground and disappeared. Ge-jin's resolution in action tells exactly
her devotion and constancy in love affairs. When she left:
A few days later two peony shrubs sprang up where the
children had fallen and grew to a foot in diameter overnight.
They bloomed that year, one purple and one white, with
flowers the size of saucers and petals even more numerous
and finely delineated than those of ordinary Linen Scarves
and Jade Clappers.2 1
These are the reminders of past beautiful feelings. In most of Pu Song-ling's
stories, the intensity of feelings keeps the end of the story in delay and makes the
development possible.
The intensity of feelings is so strong that even jealousy between rivals is
overcome and all beings can show affection for each other, as is the case of two
ghost women in "Xiao Xie" (“Little Xie”)22. The intensity of love is so strong that
each of them can sacrifice herself for the well-being of the other, sometimes in the
form of death, but later on gets rewarded with more joyful coexistence or another
opportunity to enjoy love brought by rebirth, as is also the case of Lian-xiang and
Miss Li. They do resort to magic power in the process of transformation or
metamorphosis, however, merely for the realization of beautiful feelings.
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Women Venturing Beyond the Inner Chamber
Women in LZZY are involved in a social network with subtle and manifold
relationships, such as kinship, friendship and love, and all other feelings found in a
human world, including confrontation with others. Their contact with others is
marked by respect for such human virtues as kindness, self-sacrifice, faithfulness,
and sincerity. By putting them into such a social network, Pu Song-ling presents
female supernaturals first as independent beings, instead of as daughter, wife or
mother attached to a male-dominated structure. Or sometimes they can even serve as
daughter, wife, or mother by detaching themselves from the male-dominated
structure. In their pursuit of personal happiness, they hold on to the principle of
"primacy of heart"2 3 and show defiance of any impediment on the way to happiness.
In the world of the supernatural, who believes in “fumu zhi ming, mei shuo zhi yan”
(“arranged marriage)? Who exchanges happiness with “mendang hudui” (“matching
in status”)? Who goes with "yaotiao shunu, junzi haoqiu” (“A fair lady is always
sought by a gentleman”)? Who becomes a fool by following "nuzi wucai bian shi de”
(“Females without talents are virtuous”)?
These are a group of women who select whom to love, who show no hesitation in
their actions, and who can liberate themselves from the trap of feelings once fidelity
doesn't exist any longer. In a word, they can take the initiative in love affairs. In
seeking lovers, these women follow their own heart and fight against parents' wills in
the form of arranged marriage and society's expectations of matching in status.
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Examples can be found in "Lian-cheng". Lian-cheng can only smile at her intimate
friend Scholar Qiao in the world of humans, for Qiao is refused by her parents on the
reason that he is too poor. Her parents intend to marry her to a rich family. Lian-
cheng finds no possibility of marrying Qiao. So she dies into the world of the
supernatural, and begins another kind of existence. In the beginning of this existence,
she immediately fulfils her love with Qiao. The merriness in the world of the
supernaturals is in sharp contrast to the lack of respect for true feelings in the world
of humans and further challenges the feasibility of arranged marriage and matching
in status. Look at the reality: why have there been so many sorrows between lovers?
Why have there always been lovers following their own ways at the risk of being
despised by the society? The tensions are exactly brought by contradictions between
the wishes of the parents and those of the young couple. In the case of free matching,
what matter most are the perseverance and sincerity of lovers. In Pu Song-ling's
works, he devotes his writing to the efforts from the side of women. It is their
perseverance and sincerity that overcome hindrances on the way to happiness. The
rich Mr. Zhou in "Chen Xi-jiu" 2 4 arrangeg an engagement to marry his daughter to
the son of a high family, Master Chen. Later on, Chen failed in the examination and
Mr. Zhou immediately wanted to stop this marriage. His daughter, who had fallen in
love with Chen, fought to her death. However she was brought back to life on her
journey to death by Chen's efforts to save her. The story ends with the couple's happy
life and Zhou's bankruptcy. In this story, the experience in the other world is only
temporary. By this deliberate device of temporary another-world experience, Pu
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Song-ling lets triumph go to lovers who show contempt for taking status as norm,
and lets failure meet with those who show no regard for personal feelings.
Women in the world of the supernatural are linked with men by companionship.
"Working together before the candle by the window, we are friends to each other."2 5
Words from "Lian-suo" 2 6 depicts the state of an ideal matching:" (The woman)
composed the melody of 'the rain drops hitting the leaves of banana’ which was
m oving; (The man) composed the melody of ‘the birds chirping in the morning
garden’. Immediately they felt so comfortable at heart. By the light they made
compositions. They were so happy that they forgot that morning was coming."2 7 In
the face of admiration for each other, appearance, social and economic status become
nothing. Yet it does happen that in these tales the attraction of appearance is often
the starting point of admiration for each other. A large number of stories in LZZY
develop from attraction at first sight. But if love is built solely upon the basis of
physical attraction, then it is too vulnerable. Almost all women in stories of LZZY are
beauties. Yet when they engage in contact with men, and when they further develop
this relationship to mutual affinity, they regard correspondence between hearts as
more important than anything else. Talents and virtues instead of attraction of
appearance or social and economic status help to achieve this correspondence. Lian-
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cheng falls in love with Scholar Qiao because he is a man of chivalry. Wan-xia and
A-duan start their love affairs from their common interest in dancing. 2 9 Bai Qiu-lian
and Scholar Mu are united by poetry. The bond between the two is strong enough to
TO
give them power to transcend time and space, as well as life and death. Yu-rong
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after going through thick and thin together with Zhu-qing was separated from him.
Yet whenever she couldn't restrain her longing for Zhu-qing, she would fly across
mountains and rivers to his side31. Just as Pu Song-ling says at the end of "Xiang-
yu": "When feelings are developed to the extreme, ghosts and spirits can be
communicated with."3 2 In LZZY, the humans and the supernaturals do have discourse
with each other: they keep in contact, they fall in love, they marry and they even give
birth to babies. The intensity of feelings is strong enough to let beings from the two
worlds forget differences between each other and show mutual affection.
Stories in LZZY exhibit that love can transcend time and space and reach every
corner of the world, as a kind of universal love. For the sake of love, characters can
sacrifice themselves for the well-being of others; for the sake of love, they work for
the ultimate ideal of harmony with others. The story of "Lian-xiang", for example, is
the process of women's overcoming jealousy in the face of love. The fox lady Lian-
xiang and the ghost lady Ms. Li were rivals in the competition to get Scholar Sang.
They abused each other in order to drive the rival away. Scholar Sang fell ill for
sleeping with Ms. Li. Ms. Li was regretful and also ashamed, for she hadn't intended
to make Scholar Sang sick. In helping Scholar Sang to recover, these ladies began to
understand each other and they became harmonious with each other. Ms. Li
withdrew first by denying herself in the form of death, and yet was rewarded with
rebirth and married with Scholar Sang later on. Then Lian-xiang died to give a way
to Ms. Li. Fourteen years later, Lian-xiang returned in the incarnation of a girl. They
talked with each other about their former life in tears and laughter.
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These women exhibit the success of their existence by the way of their living, and
by venturing beyond gender boundary: they are virtuous and able women. Stories
with such themes in LZZY are “Yanshi fu”("Ms. Yan")33, "ShangSan-guan"34and
“Xiao nu”(" A Chivalrous G irl")35, just to mention a few here. Their success calls
into attention the need of reinterpreting women's virtues.
In their existence, these women prove the power of humanity, which includes
fidelity, trust and self-sacrifice in kinship, friendship and love. What they gain is
personal integrity in life. They take charge of their own fates and display
extraordinary abilities to solve problems, even extreme adversity.
Their means to win is talent. Women in the world of humans are enclosed in the
inner chamber and never given an opportunity to show and to employ their talent. In
the world of the supernatural, Pu Song-ling first creates a realm favorable to their
personal development by casting off those taboos from the world of humans, and
then arranges an arena for them to have a discourse with men. In the discourse they
show that they are not inferior to men and sometimes even superior to men. Just
mention a few examples here. Jiao-nuo has the miraculous ability of curing and is
able to bring the dead back to life; Wan-xia is unsurpassed by anybody else in her art
of dancing; Mrs. Chou puts her husband into efface by her ingenuity and resolution
in fighting with the evil forces;3 6 Ms. Zhang shows her boldness and wisdom in her
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successful resistance to the bullying of a group of soldiers.
In all of their actions, these women are guided by discernment: they know whom
to love, when to love, what to do and how to do it. The discernment gives them
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opportunities and power, which is an important factor in their success. Instead of
attaching themselves to the male-dominated structure, these women work out their
ways by themselves.
In his tales, Pu Song-ling creates some female characters who venture beyond
gender boundary for some time in their life, by taking such male roles as becoming
the backbone of a family, taking part in civil examinations, sitting in official posts or
taking revenge on their rivals with chivalrous deeds. Their actions are guided by the
willingness to bear consequences or the intelligence to plan the whole scheme, the
ability to fulfill their ambition or to execute the plan, and the determination to
achieve their goals in whatever circumstances. They show that women are not only
good at inner chamber affairs, but also capable of shouldering duties outside the
inner chamber. In LZZY, some stories with such themes are “Geng Niang”(“Mrs.
Geng”)38, “Qiao Nu” (“The Girl Qiao”)39, “Ya-tou”40, “Yanshi Fu” (“Ms. Yan”)4 1
and “Shang San-guan”42. The story of Ms. Yan and the story of Shang San-guan are
exemplary of those stories of capable women.
Ms. Yan, an intelligent girl of unusual precocity, is educated by her father, who
always feels it is a pity that she cannot take up a career as man. After her father’s
death, she marries a handsome young man. This young man has no mind for reading
and fails again and again in the examinations. Disappointed with her husband, Ms.
Yan decides to have a try herself. After changing into male’s clothes, she sits in the
examination hall and succeeds in the examination. She is appointed Censor of Henan
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province, and holds her position for ten years. Ten years is long enough to show that
her ability is equal or even superior to a man’s.
Shang San-guan’s determination and action to avenge her father’s death contrasts
with her brother’s weakness and absentmindedness. Pu Song-ling comments as
“Historian of the Strange” at the end of the story: “ The Shang brothers’ ignorance of
the existence of a female assassin-retainer in the family shows what kind of men they
were.”4 3
Besides Ms. Yan and Shang San-guan, who undertake male roles not intended
for them, quite a few women in LZZY stories work as artisan, surgeon, potter,
businessman, medicine woman, storekeeper and factory owner. What was Pu Song-
ling thinking when he wrote these stories? Did he ever think of redefining the gender
roles? My answer is that by letting women venture beyond gender boundaries, Pu
Song-ling doesn’t intend to put the gender world upside down. He is making efforts
to call into attention the ability of women and arouse respect for women. Their
temporary stay in the male world cannot be explained by “gender dislocation”44in the
reading of these tales in their contexts. Pu Song-ling tries to interpret the world as a
balanced one, in which people live in harmonious coexistence. Among all the
relationships involved in this harmonious existence, equality between men and
women is touched upon and emphasized by Pu Song-ling, which might become the
starting point of other equalities in a society. So Pu Song-ling lets Ms. Yan return to
her womanly role after successful governance in office for ten years.
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It is clear that the yearning for individual happiness and its realization make up
the driving force in LZZY love stories. This search for individual fulfillment reveals
the basic nature of these love stories, and its success in another world proves the
success of humanity in the form of trust, fidelity and self-sacrifice. However, these
stories are merely fantasies, because they are dreams that cannot be realized in the
world of humans. In a society where the welfare of family and clan is put ahead of
the welfare of the individuals, there can be no individual happiness. Pu Song-ling
wants his readers to know that his stories are not merely fantasies created to help
them to escape from the miseries of the world of humans. By these stories, Pu Song-
ling is criticizing a society which shows no respect for personal happiness and
individual integrity. In the success of the existence of these supernaturals, Pu Song-
ling suggests the possibility of a humanitarian society with gender equality as the
foremost feature of the social network.
The images of women in LZZY stories who show no respect for Confucian
ideology are inspirational. They suggest that one day women could make greater
contributions to a society so long as they are respected. These ideas represent the
hope for a better life and a better future, not merely in gender issues, but also in other
respects, so long as respect is given to individuals and individual efforts.
To flee from the world of the humans, to die from the world of the humans or to
resort to supernatural power for transformation—these are the means of realizing
personal happiness suggested by Pu Song-ling in his LZZY stories. Here all the
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aspirations, desires and hopes can be expressed and realized. So Pu Song-ling lets
both Lian-cheng and Scholar Qiao die into the world of the supernatural once they
find that their love cannot be tolerated by the human world of (“Lian-cheng”). Such
is also the case of Wan-xia (“Wan-xia”) and Ya-tou (“Ya-tou”).
The contrasts of merriness and sorrow, life and death as well as love and hatred in
two worlds are so striking that the supematurals can never forgive the world of
humans for its wrong doings. “Gongsun jiuniang” (“Gongsun Nineth-Maiden”) tells
of an unforgettable carnage from the memory of Jiu-niang. The background of the
story is that at the beginning of the Qing dynasty the rebel Yu Qi was put down. The
bloody scene was recorded in the following:
In the lawsuit of Yu Seven (Yu Q i), most involved were people from
Qixia and Laiyang Blood covered the earth, and white
bones piled to the sky. The high officials were merciful.They
granted coffin wood. Then the coffin shops in Jinan were out
of coffin wood.4 5
In the nether world, humans and supernaturals loved and married, but the
merriness could not dispel the memories of being chased and killed. On the night of
Jiu-niang’s wedding, she enjoyed herself to the full. But at the moment of extreme
merriness, scenes of past events leapt before her eyes:
The nephew was sent to Jinan. At the news that her father
was executed, she was shocked At the beginning,
Jiu-niang and her mother had intended to go to the capital.
When they arrived at the county, the mother could not endure
The hardships and died. Jiu-niang commit suicide 4 6
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In the other world, Jiu-niang still couldn’t hold back her tears. When she opened
her trunk, she could still see the blood on her skirts. Through contrast, the happiness
in the world of the supernatural adds to the tragedy of life in the world of humans.
As discussed above, the world of the supernatural and the human world stand in
opposition with each other. Pu Song-ling comments upon the contrast between the
two worlds at the end of the story of “The Raksasas and the Ocean Bazaar” “Luocha
haishi”(“The Raksasas and the Ocean Bazaar”):
The ways of the world are no different from the ways of
goblins: both would have us paint our faces to curry favor.
When it comes to proclivities for eating scabs and such,
the whole world is in the same rut. Moderately embarrassing
actions receive moderate praise;greatly embarrassing actions
receive great praise. If a person were to amble through a city
with his true face exposed for all to see, few must be the ones
who would not take to their heels in fright. Whose shoulder
can the Fool of Lianyang cry on with his fabled jade worth
fifteen cities? Alas! Glory and wealth can only be found in
castles in the air and ocean bazaars.4 7
Notes:
1. For a detailed study of women’s status in 17th and 18th-century China, see
Francesc Bray, Technology and Gender: Fabrics o f Power in Late Imperial China
(Berkeley:University of Berkeley Press, 1997). Especially of interest are part 1,
“Building a Tradition: The Construction of Chinese History” and part 2,
“Women’s Work: Weaving New Patterns in the Social Fabric”.
2. Pu Song-ling, “Jiao-na”, LZZY, Zhu Qi-kai et al. ed. (Beijing: Renmin wenxue
chuban she, 1989), pp.60-68.
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3. “Ying-ning”, ibid., pp. 150-159.
4. “Xiao-cui”, ibid., pp.997-1006.
5. “Qing-feng”, ibid., pp. 117-124.
6. Lu Xun, Zhongguo xiaoshuo shilue (A Brief History o f Chinese Fiction) (Beijing:
Dongfang chuban she, 1993), p.271.
7. “Lian-xiang”, LZZY, pp.219-229.
8. “Bai Qiu-lian”, ibid., pp. 1462-1469.
9. “Wan-xia”, ibid., pp. 1457-1462.
10. “Lian-cheng”, ibid., pp.361-366.
11. “Zhu-qing”, ibid., pp.1495-1498.
12. “Ge Jin” (“Linen Scarf’), ibid., pp.1422-1428.
13. “Huang-ying”, ibid., pp.1431-1437.
14. “Hehua San Niangzi” (“Ms. Lotus the Third”), ibid., pp.679-682.
15. “Xiang-yu”, ibid., pp. 1523-1528.
16. “Fen Die” (“Pink Butterfly”), ibid., pp.1635-1638.
17. “A-Ying”, ibid., pp.915-920.
18.Pu Song-ling, “Jiao-nuo”, Strange Tales from Make-Do Studio, Denis C.& Victor
H. Mair trans.(Beijing: Foreign Language Press, 1989), p.30.
19. “Jiao-nuo”, ibid., p.36.
20. “Jiao-nuo”, ibid., p.37.
21. “Ge Jin” (“Linen Scarf”), Strange Tales from Make-Do Studio, p.376.
22. “Xiao Xie” (“Little Xie”), LZZY, pp.776-782.
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23. “Primacy of heart” is the principle emphasized by “Cult of Qing” in late-Ming
period. For “Cult of Qing”, see Chapter 1, note 12.
24. “Chen Xi-jiu”, LZZY, pp.l 155-1161.
25. “Lian-suo”, LZZY, p.328.
26. “Lian-suo”, ibid., pp.327-335.
27. “Lian-suo”, ibid., p.328.
28. “Lian-cheng”, ibid., pp.361-366.
29. “Wan-xia”, ibid., pp. 1457-1461.
30. “Bai Qiu-lian”, ibid., pp. 1462-1468.
31. “Zhu-qing”, ibid., pp. 1495-1498.
32. “Xiang-yu”, ibid., pp.1523-p.1528.
33. “Yanshi Fu” (“Ms. Yan”), ibid., pp.769-773.
34. “Shang San-guan”, ibid., pp.372-375.
35. “Xia Nu”(“A Chivalrous Girl”), ibid., pp.211-216.
36. “Chou Daniang” (“Mrs. Chou”), ibid., pp.1383-1392.
37. “Zhangshi Fu” (“Mrs. Zhang”), ibid., pp. 1505-1506.
38. “Geng Niang” (“Mrs. Geng”), ibid., pp.385-390.
39. “Qiao Nu” (“The Girl Qiao”), ibid., pp.1281-1285.
40. “Ya-tou”, ibid., pp.605-611.
41. “Yanshi Fu ” (“Mrs. Yan”), ibid., pp.769-773.
42. “Shang San-guan”, ibid., pp.372-375.
43. “Shang San-guan”, ibid., p.375.
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44. See Judith T. Zeitlin, Historian o f the Strange: Pu Song-ling and the Chinese
Classical Tale (Stanford: Stanford University Press: 1993), pp.98-130.
Zeitlin starts her point by taking sex as a symbol of power. Thinking in this way,
She interprets the phenomenon of women doing male functions in LZZY stories as
“gender dislocation”. By “gender dislocation”, Zeitlin is referring to the ingenious
and productive reinstatement of gender boundary. However, paradoxically, this
reordering is accomplished only through the most extreme and inexorable
crossing of gender boundaries.
45. “Gongsun Jiuniang” (“Gongsun Nineth-Maiden”), LZZY, pp.487-493.
46. “Gongsun Jiuniang” (“Gongsun Nineth-Maiden”), ibid., p.487.
47. “Luocha haishi” (“The Raksasas and the Ocean Bazaar’), Strange Tales from
Make-Do Studio, p. 155.
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Chapter 3
The Underworld as a Representation of the World of the Humans
A universe inside the sleeve is a fable by people in ancient
times. How could it be real? How miraculous it is! Inside it
is heaven and earth, as well as sun and moon. You can have
a wife and give birth to children, but you don’t have to
pay taxes or worry about worldly affairs. Therefore, is there
any difference between the insects and lice in the sleeve and
the chickens and dogs in the Peach-blossom Spring? If humans
could stay there for a long time, it would be all right to die
there.1
Pu Song-ling cannot help but express his longings for living in this world of the
supernatural in the persona of “the Historian of the Strange” at the end of the story
“Gong Xian” (“The Immortal Gong”). He constructs a world of the supernatural
according to his own understandings and expectations, as a realm where one can
realize one’s desires, hopes and aspirations. Here the supernaturals are bound
together by trust and affection for each other, and equality is achieved between men
and women, which further brings them to attach themselves to each other and live in
harmonious coexistence. This is a realm with no authority, no struggle and no
oppression.
It is apparent that Pu Song-ling is tortured by two conflicting values in two
different worlds. In LZZY stories, the world of the supernatural stands in opposition
to the dominating structure of the world of the humans. However, besides the
beautiful dream-like world of the supernatural, Pu Song-ling does touch upon the
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underworld, most of the time in the form of hell. The underworld is the other side of
the world of the supernaturals. The underworld is dark and horrible, governed by
officials with no mercy for the sufferers and with no scruples when abusing power.
By presenting this unpleasant side, Pu Song-ling doesn’t mean to overturn the
beautiful side which he makes efforts to construct in most of his tales, nor does he
intend to show the contradictions found in the world of the supernatural.
The point running through his presentation is to liken the underworld to the world
of the humans, which allows for no freedom to the individuals, shows no respect for
human virtues and has no regard for personal happiness. In the sense of its violation
of the human heart, the underworld has committed the unpardonable sin, the severest
one among all sins ever since the beginning of human existence. Pu Song-ling was
born in an age when the Qing government was carrying out the movement of “the
inquisition of the literati”, the cruelty of which was beyond belief, so that Pu Song-
ling cried out in his “Kao-bi Si” (“Examination Fraud Department”): “Miserable to
such an extent! How can it be called a world?”2 When reading LZZY stories, we can
find that Pu Song-ling has already identified the sources of his anger and frustration.
He criticizes the corruption and injustice of the government officials, and satirizes on
the corruption and injustice of the civil examination system. He shows concerns
about problems in the world of the humans in his LZZY stories.
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Hell as a Representation of the Corruption and Injustice in the World of Humans 3
The hell in the underworld has almost the same structure and is governed by the
same kind of fatuous rulers. See “Meng lang”(“Dreaming of Wolves”):
The squire went in and, instead saw his nephew sitting at the
head of a hall wearing a locust-pattern headpiece and a robe
embroidered with the figure of an evil-exorcising ram—the
garb of a censor. Around him the standards and two-pronged
spears of his guards were drawn up in ranks so close that no
one could get through Soon they came to a building..........
Looking through the gate, the squire saw a huge wolf standing
in the way. He was greatly frightened and dared not go farther.
They came to another door. The entire length of the
hall within this was occupied by sitting and lying wolves. A
glance at the steps leading to the hall showed a mountain of
white bones, which struck even more terror into the squire’s
heart Within moments a huge wolf came dragging a dead
man in its jaw s It would do for a meal With a
palpitating hear he excused himself and started out, but a
line of wolves blocked the way. He was trying to make up
his mind whether to go on or turn back when the wolves
broke ranks and ran off howling. Some scrambled under the
bed and some hid under the desk Just then two fierce
armored warriors burst glowering into the room, took out a
black rope and bound Jia up with it. Jia fell to the ground and
turn into a spike-toothed tiger.4
Isn’t that exactly a picture of the government office in the human world ? “The
Historian of the Strange” sighs:
Regrettably one need not look far to find that many officials
in this world are tigers, and their subordinates, wolves. Even
if the officials are not tigers, their subordinates go ahead with
their wolfish doings. What is more, some officials are fiercer
than tigers! It is a failure for a man to be unable to look back
on what he has done. But he might just wake up one day to
find that he has been made to look backward. Such are the
subtle lessons taught by ghosts!5
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Tigers and wolves become frequent metaphors for official abuse and corruption.
On the subject of people’s sufferings from official corruption and injustice, another
metaphor is used, the cricket, which indicates the uncontrollable destiny of common
people. In the story of “Cu Zhi”(“The Cricket”)6, the theme of official corruption is
further elaborated.
In this story, crickets have become favorite pets in the imperial palace, because
the royal family like to watch them fight with each other. In order to please the royal
family, officials send their underlings to search countrywide for stronger and fiercer
crickets. Presenting a desirable cricket becomes a ladder to success. The irony is
developed to the full when a child dived himself into the well and commit suicide
because he was wrongly and severely blamed by his parents who were infatuated
with the idea of being successful by way of crickets. A failed scholar, Cheng, at last
realized his ambition in this way. “The Historian of the Strange” reviews the tragic
sense in the story:
The emperor may use something once on a whim and give it no
more thought, but for the people who carry out his wishes it
becomes a fixed article of tribute. With the greed of officials
and the cruelties of administrators on top of this, there is no
end to hardships which make peasants give up their wives and
sell their children. Thus every time the emperor takes a step
the lives of the people are affected. There is no room for
carelessness. Cheng’s case was unique: after being reduced
to poverty by the degradations of corrupt officials, a cricket
brought him wealth enough to go about flaunting furs and fine
horses. Back in the days when he was beaten for failing to
fulfill his duties as headman, how could he have foreseen that
such a fortune was in store for him? Heaven made the provincial
governor and magistrate enjoy the benefits of the cricket’s favor
as a means of rewarding one man’s honesty. When the Taoist
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immortality redounded even to his dogs and chickens. There
is much truth in this!7
There are many other stories in LZZY that expose the corruption and tyranny of
the officials. In “Han Fang”8, Pu Song-ling compares officials who overcharge taxes
to ghosts who harass the dying. In the story “Mei-nu” (‘The Girl Mei”)9, an innocent
girl hangs herself because a petty official, bribed by a small amount of money, lets
the girl’s reputation be spoiled by a hooligan.
To what extent are the evils of hell presented in other worlds, in other words, how
much is the corruption of the world of the humans reflected in the underworld?
When reading LZZY stories carefully, we find that almost all the misdeeds of the
world of the humans can find representations in the underworld. Here tigers and
wolves sit high in the hall, and cut up the people like flesh and meat (“Meng lang””);
here the highly positioned take bribe and practice graft, and extort the common
people to the bone and marrow (“Xi Fang-ping”)1 0 ; here the emperor is overbearing,
and the people are regarded as something no more important than insects (“Cu zhi”);
here right and wrong are confused, and beauty and virtue are despised (“Luocha
haishi”);n here there is no sense of honor and shame, and justice and trust can be sold
out in exchange for benefits(“Kao-bi Si”).
Perhaps the most direct criticism of official corruption lies in “Kao-bi Si”
“Examination Fraud Department”). The head of the Examination Fraud Department,
Xu-du Gui-wang (the empty-stomach ghost king) sets a regulation which requires
that all dead degree holders cut off a piece of flesh from their butt as a tribute to him.
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Only those who can offer a great bribe can be exempt from this practice. This evil
action brings great pain to those dead degree holders. One scholar cannot endure the
torture, but has no means to resort to for help. He finally appeals to Yan-luo (Yama),
lord of the netherworld. Yan-luo, in traditional stories, gives justice to the scholars
and punishes the head for his evil deed. However, it is strange enough to have Yan-
luo as claimer of justice here. Why not resort to the supreme God of Heaven, which
in Chinese traditions is the symbol of justice? “ The Historian of the Strange” gives
an answer at the end of the story: “The Supreme God of Heaven was far in the blue
sky; where can He be found and told about our grievance? Only Yen-luo, lord of the
netherworld, is near and can be the possible access to justice.”1 2
Besides lamenting the wide-spread corruption and injustice of government
officials, Pu Song-ling also touches upon the carelessness and arbitrariness with
which local authorities deal with lawsuits. The magistrates are representatives of the
court in local areas, the highest authorities in the district, and have the duty to
investigate lawsuits and punish offenders. Torture is a frequently-used means to deal
with cases, without a sound reason and a careful examination. Reflecting upon this
situation, Pu Song-ling blames the magistrates for their lack of conscienciousness
and humanity. One example is “Yuan Yu” (“The Unjust Sentence”)13.
However, in most of these stories, there are images of able and observant officials
emerging to clarify the cases. For example, Yu Cheng-long in “Yu Zhong-cheng”1 4
uses common sense and logic to solve complex cases. In “Zhe yu” ( “Torturing
Sentence”)1 5 , Magistrate Fei is praised for being benevolent. He is extremely careful
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in dealing with cases in case that innocent people are tortured. In “She yin” (“A
Poem as the Clue to Solve a Crime Case”1 6 , an innocent man is almost put to death
because of lack of investigation on the site. Fortunately, the official, Zhou Liang-
gong, makes an in-depth and careful investigation, which then leads to the discovery
of the real murderer. The innocent person is saved.
Actually, those stories about able and observant officials may not happen in the
underworld. Pu Song-ling presents them as real stories. Running through these
stories is Pu Song-ling’s belief that injustice can be avoided by conscientious and
careful actions from responsible officials. Are these officials present in the
underworld? No. Are they commonly available in the world of humans? No. Pu
Song-ling’s deliberate arrangement of presenting them as real figures indicates his
desperation with both the underworld and the world of the humans, and suggests his
hope for a society morally governed by responsible people.
Corruption and injustice are prevalent in both the world of humans and the
underworld. The underworld, when presented in this sense, is a representation of the
world of the humans. The world of the humans, in its essence, is the underworld.
Pu Song-ling’s description of the world of the humans is best found in the
following passage:
The officials lead a leisurely life, whiling away their time with
chess games and enjoying their comfortable sleep late in the morning.
They are totally unconcerned about the hardships of the common people.
When the drum announces the opening of the court, they sit high up
in the hall, and those who grumble or protest for being wronged are
silenced by fetters and handcuffs. Under the circumstances, no wonder
there is so much long-unresolved injustice in this world.1 7
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The Other World as a Reflection of the Injustice of the Civil Examinations
Besides corruption and injustice involved in official life, Pu Song-ling also
touches upon degree candidates and the civil examination system in LZZY stories. As
a frustrated candidate, he knew too well the vices of civil examinations and the
misery and sufferings of those degree candidates in their struggles. Though he never
doubted the value of the examination system, he did see the incompetence and
injustice of the system from his own experience. The cruel reality allowed no space
and opportunity to tell of his observances and his thoughts regarding examination
life. Then he moved stories with this topic to the underworld, or sometimes, he
resorted to the work of fantasy and delirium as an outlet of his frustrations and his
thoughts over examination issues.
Generally speaking, there are two themes involved in LZZY stories with regard to
civil examinations: corrupt and incompetent examiners and ill-fated degree
candidates.
The incompetence of examiners can be best illustrated by the story of “Yu
Qu-e”.1 8 The degree candidate Yu Qu-e, after his death, still pursues his aim of being
successful in the examinations in the underworld. He forever tries, but forever fails,
and then forever waits for justice to come. In this succession of attempts, he at last
realizes that the problem is not with his abilities but with the examiners who, once in
office, had neglect learning and become illiterate in some sense. Yu Qu-e tells the
life of an examiner in this way:
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It is the Lord on High’s considered wish. Even the most minor
officials will be subject to examination. Those who know how
to write will be appointed examiners. Illiterates will not be given
a chance. You see, the spirits down in the shades are like the
governors and magistrates you have in this sunlit world.1 9 The
ones that have realized their ambitions don’t so much as glance
at the classics. When young they only used them to batter through
the gate to honor and fame. Once the gate was open they threw
them aside. What is more, after a dozen years or so of handling
documents, not even a learned man would have a word worth
writing left in him, would he?2 0
Is there a real competent examiner then? Marquis Huan2 1 was supposed to
administer justice in the worlds of both the living and the dead. He was expected to
“inspect underworld functionaries once every thirty years and tour the sunlit world
once every thirty-five years.”2 2 However the hopeless wait for justice had put degree
candidates into endless struggles, in which both life and death were involved. In this
sense, without a really competent examiner in office, the life of degree candidates is
an eternal prison.
The injustice of the civil examination system is attacked by a blind monk in the
story “Si-wen Lang” (“The Clerk in Charge of Writing”)23. The blind monk says:
“Although I am blind, I still can use my nose to tell the good writing from the bad
one, but those (examiners) are not only blind, but also have lost their sense of
smell.”2 4 In the underworld, a dead and dumb person is put to the position of
examiner. Thus really good compositions cannot be found. By the blindness of
examiners in the underworld, Pu Song-ling is hinting at the worse situation in the
world of humans.
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The experience of struggling in the civil examinations is the experience of
struggling in the inferno. The whole process is the process of self-destmction. The
souls of those successful ones can easily be filled by vanity, self-importance and
abuse of power once their aim is achieved, while the failed ones cannot free
themselves from the struggles once they have started the process, and some of them
even enter a state of delirium. All of them are victims of the civil examinations.
Examples can be found in “Yishui xiucai” (“A Scholar from Yi-shui”)25, “Jiaping
gongzi” (“A Young Gentleman from Jia-ping”)26, “Wang Zi-an”27and “Ye-sheng”
(“Scholar Ye”)28.
In “Wang Zi-an”, Pu Song-ling shows the insanity of the examination through
Wang Zi-an’s personal experience: Wang Zi-an was repeatedly tortured by the
tension, anxiety, humiliation and frustration brought by attempts in the examinations
again and again. He fell into a delirium after he passed the provincial examination, in
which he got the highest rank of Jinshi (The Presented Scholar). Waking up from
the delirium, he just realized that he was played by a fox. Still he decided to go back
to his sufferings and struggles. Wang Zi-an’s experience as a degree candidate is
described in seven semblances, which are exactly the experience of most degree
candidates:
Bachelors of letters who go into the examination cells have
seven semblances. When they first go in, barefoot and
carrying their baskets, they resemble beggars. At roll call,
when monitors shout and lectors curse, they resemble prisoners.
Going to their own numbered cells, they resemble sluggish
wasps at the end of autumn in the way their heads poke
out of the openings and their feet stick out from the rooms.
When they come out of the arena, wearing every imaginable
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When they come out of the arena, wearing every imaginable
sort of dispirited expression, they resemble ailing birds
just released from a cage. Then, as they are waiting for
news of their results, they start at shapes they see in grass
and trees, and their daydreams become full-blown fantasies.
Now they see their hope realized, and in a matter of moments
a mansion and pavilions take shape: now they see themselves
stymied, and in a blink and a breath their bones have decayed.
At this juncture the restlessness of their movements makes them
resemble an orangutan on a leash. Suddenly messengers come
on flying steeds, but the expected names are not on the list.
Their color pales dramatically, and they lapse into deathlike
despondence. At this time they resemble poisoned flies that
are insensible even when handled. When first defeated, their
hearts are like dead ashes and their spirits are broken. They
rant and rail at the blindness of the examiners and the
uselessness of their writing brushes and ink, and inevitably
come to such a pass that they gather up all the things on their
desk and commit them to the flames. Burning them isn’t enough,
so they stomp them to pieces. Stomping isn’t enough, so they
throw them into the gutter. After this they let their long hair
down and go live like hermit in the mountains, where they
turn their faces toward a stone wall. Anyone who brings
them essays with words like ‘moreover that which’ and
‘previously opinioned’ will assuredly be chased away
of spear point. But before long, as the day of their humiliation
recedes into the past and their anger fades, there gradually
comes again an itch to exercise unused skills. In this they
resemble a pigeon whose eggs have been smashed. They
only thing it can do is fly about with twigs in its beak fashioning
a nest, and then hatching a new clutch of eggs. People in such a
situation are in mortal agony, but to those who look on from the
side, they are utterly ridiculous.2 9
In reality, most degree candidates would try again and again, for they saw no
other way to gain fame and power. Even Pu Song-ling himself didn’t become
enlightened to turn to the writing of LZZY stories until an old age. However, from
his own experiences, Pu Song-ling did feel the need of turning away from that blind
alley and also did feel the benefits from doing something else which was
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constructive. In LZZY stories, Pu Song-ling suggests three ways out of the misery
brought by the civil examinations: first, to seek relief by devoting oneself to feelings,
especially through developing relationships with those fairy ladies from the other
world; second, to turn to help from religion; third, to make a career change.
Scholars in LZZY stories are frequently involved in relationships with ladies from
the world of the supernatural, as shown in the former chapter. Humiliation,
degradation, anxiety, stress and depression find an outlet in the care of these
supernatural ladies. It is in communication with these ladies that they find the dignity
as men. Therefore in these love stories Pu Song-ling is suggesting that these scholars
abandon their hopeless pursuit in the world of humans. However, Pu Song-ling never
had the idea of doing away with the civil examination system. He doubted the
rationality of the examination system, but could see no other way leading to a
successful official life. That’s why in LZZY stories there are still some women who
support their husbands in their efforts to succeed in the civil examinations.
The scholars are also suggested to abandon the world of humans by turning to
religion. In “Jia Feng-zhi”30, Scholar Jia Feng-zhi sought seclusion in Taoism after
becoming disillusioned with the examination system. In “Bai Yu-yu”31, Scholar
Wang Qing-an tried again and again in the civil examination though he always met
with failure. However, once he met with the immortal Bai Yu-yu, he saw
enlightenment in a different life and found reasons to give up this world. He at last
fled the mortal world and freed himself from worldly concerns. There are many other
stories in which immortals have great influence over a scholar’s way of life.
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In consideration of livelihood, to turn to business is a practical road to follow. Pu
Song-ling’s father, Pu Pan, is an example of a scholar’s giving up an academic career
and becoming successful in the business world. The protagonist Yue Yun-he in the
story of “Lei Cao” (“The Thunder God”)3 2 follows the same way as Pu Song-ling’s
father. In this change of careers, many difficulties and considerations were involved.
Pu Song-ling shows great admiration for the determination to turn to other fields, as
is shown in the comments of “the Historian of the Strange” at the end of this story:
Though Mr. Yue had been a distinguished literary figure in his
time, he suddenly realized that he was not destined to occupy a
place in the scholar-official circle. So he threw away his writing
brush as easily as if he was taking off his slipper. Was there any
difference between his action and that of Ban Chao33? 3 4
Pu Song-ling’s support of Yue Yun-he’s action suggests a feasible choice of the
failed scholars in the booming economy of the Ming-Qing period, in which
professions became more fluid and varied.
When turning to another career, these scholars have realized the source of their
frustrations. The civil examination was identified as the evil-doer. In “Lei Cao”
(“The Thunder God”), the protagonist, a young scholar, comments upon the civil
examination after he observes the death of his friend brought about by the futility in
the examinations:
If someone with literary talents like this failed to succeed,
what about me? Riches and honor in life are all according
to destiny, and if I continue like this, I’ll just be throwing
away my life like a dog or horse falling into a ditch. I’d
better figure something out.3 5
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So he quits studying and becomes a merchant. After half a year of doing business,
he has acquired a nice sum of money.
Pu Song-ling attacks the civil examinations mainly on two grounds: either the
examiners are unqualified, or they fail to select the qualified candidates because of
illiteracy, blindness to quality or corruption. Corruption is especially touched upon
by Pu Song-ling.
Pu Song-ling is a pioneer among the Confucian scholars in identifying the source
of their frustrations. However, in all the comments about the civil examination
system, Pu Song-ling never questioned the rationality of the examination system.
Thus he never had the idea of giving up the civil examination system, except for
giving some suggestions such as testing the examiners periodically and checking
examinations by a special reviewer.
All the misdeeds in the underworld are exactly reflections of the corruption and
injustice found in the world of humans. These misdeeds trample upon the dignity of
humanity. As shown above, individual freedom and happiness are irreconcilable with
the shackles of society. So Pu Song-ling constructs the beautiful world of the
supernatural as the complete negation of the world of the humans. With the beautiful
supernatural world, he offered his beings a haven from all the above miseries in the
world of the humans. The world of the humans, in its essence, is the underworld of
hell.
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Notes:
1. “Gong Xian” (“The Immortal Gong”), LZZY, p.897.
2. “Kao-bi Si” (“The Examination Fraud Department”), ibid., p.827.
For a detailed introduction of “the inquisition of the literati”, please refer to
Chapter 1, A Frustrated Scholar in “the Inquisition of the Literati”.
3. Similar readings of LZZY stories can be found in the following books or articles:
Chun-shu Chang & Shelley Hsueh-lun Chang, Redefining History: Ghosts, Spirits,
and Human Society in P ’u Sung-ling’ s World Strange Tales from Make-Do Studio
(Ann Arbor: the University of Michigan Press, 1998), pp.l 17-120; Yu Tian-chi,
Pu Song-ling yu Liaozhao Zhiyi (Beijing: Beijing shifan daxue chuban she, 1993),
pp.41-49; Lei Qun-ming, Pu Song-ling yu Liaozhai Zhiyi (Shanghai: Shanghai guji
chuban she, 1983), pp.38-45.
4. “Meng lang” (Dreaming of Wolves”), Strange Tales from Make-do Studio, Denis
C.& Victor H. Mair trans.(Beijing: Foreign Language Press, 1989), pp.293-294.
5. “Meng lang” (“Dreaming of Wolves”), ibid., pp.297-298.
6. “Cu Zhi” (“The Cricket”), LZZY, pp.494-500.
7. Strange Tales from Make-Do Studio, p.164.
8. “Han Fang”, LZZY, pp. 1624-1626.
9. “Mei-nu” (“The Girl Mei”), ibid., pp.904-910.
10. “Xi Fang-ping”, ibid., pp.1336-1344.
11. “Luocha haishi” (“The Raksasas and the Ocean Bazaar”), ibid., pp.465-476.
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12. “Kao-bi Si”(“The Examination Fraud Department”), ibid., p.827.
13. “Yuan yu” (“The Unjust Sentence”), ibid., p.973.
14. “Yu Zhong-cheng”, ibid., pp.1214-1216.
15. “Zhe yu” (“Torturing Sentence”), ibid., pp.1246-1251.
16. “She yin” (“A Poem as the Clue to Solve a Crime Case”), ibid., pp.l 135-1138.
17. “Yanzhi”(“Rouge”), ibid., p. 1373.
18. “Yu Qu-e”, ibid., pp. 1163-1170.
19. Here Yu Qu-e is speaking to a degree candidate from the world of the humans.
20. “Ghost-Scholar Yu Qu-E”, Strange Tales from Make-do Studio, pp.301-302.
21. Marquis Huan is the posthumous honor given to Zhang Fei, one of the legendary
figures in the Three Kingdoms period. He is the sworn brother of Guan Yu and
Liu Bei.
22. “Ghost-Scholar Yu Qu-E”, Strange Tales from Make-Do Studio, p.305.
23. “Siwen lang” (“The Clerk in Charge of Writing”), LZZY, pp. 1100-1109.
24. “Siwen lang”, ibid., p.l 108.
25. “Yishui xiucai”(“A Scholar from Yishui”), LZZY, pp.902-903.
26. “Jiaping gongzi” (“A Young Gentleman from Jiaping”), LZZY, pp. 1555-1557.
27. “Wang Zi-an”, ibid., pp. 1234-1237.
28. “Ye Sheng” (“Scholar Ye”), ibid., pp.84-91.
29. “Wang Zi-an”, Strange Tales from Make-Do Studio, pp.329-330.
30. “Jia Feng-zhi”, LZZY, pp.1353-1359.
31. “Bai Yu-yu”, ibid., pp.337-345.
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32. “Lei Cao” (“The Thunder God”), ibid., pp.421-423.
33. Ban Chao lived in the Han dynasty. He was the son of Ban Biao, and brother of
Ban Gu. He was a copist for some time in order to support his family. One day,
he suddenly realized he should do something meaningful. He threw away his pen
and exclaimed: “A real man should have other aims than these; he should
win renown in foreign lands He should not waste his days over pen and
ink.” For reference, see Book ofHan.Ban Chao (Hanshu Ban Chao).
34. “Lei Cao” (“The Thunder God”), ibid., p.423.
35. “Lei Cao” (“The Thunder God”), ibid., p.423.
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Chapter 4
From Confrontation to Compromise:
the World of the Supernatural and the World of Humans
Compromise of the Two Worlds
There are always confrontations between the world of the supernatural and the
world of humans, but that doesn’t mean that the two worlds cannot be bridged. In the
stories of LZZY, the supematurals and the humans do have communications with
each other: they fall in love, they get married and they can even give birth to babies.
“At the extreme of feelings, ghosts and spirits can be communicated with.”1 Usually
love happens as the result of extreme feelings. As discussed in Chapter 2, it is love
that warms the two kinds of existence, and it is love that bridges the world of
darkness and the world of brightness.
The intensity of love is strong enough to let the supernaturals and the humans
forget differences between themselves and become attached to each other. Nineth-
Maiden, Master Zhu and the nephew are all ghosts in the story of “Gongsun
Jiuniang” (“Gongsun Nineth-Maiden”).2 A master from Laiyang of the human world
of felt scared of these ghosts. Reluctantly, he followed Master Zhu to the ghost
village. In his contact with these ghosts, he gradually cast away his dread, for these
ghosts were so lovely. The following is a description:
(The niece) was as pretty as when she was in the world of the
humans. She gazed with fixed attention and greeted all the aunts
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present Nineth-Maiden’s smile was so radiant that her
eyebrows arched like the autumn moon and the blush of her
shyness was like the rosy clouds of morning. Truly she was a
beauty from heaven.3
These supematurals laughed in happiness, cried in sorrow and shared with
each other all their feelings. In the process of communication, the master from
Laiyang had even become infatuated with Nineth-Maiden and got married with
her.The power of love is strong enough to overcome any barrier between the
supematurals and the humans. Lian-cheng and Master Qiao’s love affair4 met
with several difficulties before they finally got united: The first is disparity in
family status: Lian-cheng was from a distinguished family while Master Qiao
was not; The second is pain from contribution of parts of the body: Lian-cheng in
sickness could only be cured with flesh from a man’s body, so Master Qiao cut flesh
from his body to save Lian-cheng; The third is the evil-doings of the judge: bribed
by Mrs. Wang, the judge decided that Lian-cheng should be married to the Wang
family according to the original arrangement. Lian-cheng showed her defiance by
death; The fourth is separation by life and death: Lian-cheng’s death meant the end
of their love affair. The stricken Master Qiao, however, was able to accompany Lian-
cheng by following her to the world of death; The fifth is the hardship of returning
to the world of humans: Lian-cheng would like to return to the world of the
humans to reunite with Master Qiao, which proved to be difficult. Master Qiao
tried every means to help Lian-cheng in this attempt. After so many difficulties they
finally united. Love enabled them to transcend the boundary between life and death.
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Running from the beginning to the end of the story is the predominance of love
and finally, the success of love. In the face of love, even the boundary between the
two worlds is blurred.
Not only can these supernaturals step over the boundary between the two worlds,
but also they can stay as residents in either of the two worlds. Nie Xiao-qian’s story5
is the progressive integration of a spirit into the human community. Not only do the
two main characters enjoy their love with each other, but also they can give birth to
babies in some cases as the confirmation of the union of beings from the two worlds.
For example, Ma-jin in “Luocha Haishi” (“The Raksasas and the Ocean Bazaar”)6
has the luck of having two children from his union with the princess of the sea
palace.
The compromise between the two worlds is realized through nothing but love. By
allowing for possible interaction between the two worlds, Pu Song-ling affirms the
value of “primacy of heart”. Love in LZZY stories is idealized and reaches every kind
of existence. Love is not the only right of the humans. It is also possessed by the
supernaturals in the other kind of existence. Ghosts, spirits, foxes and so on are all
involved romantically in LZZY stories. There are love affairs between a human and a
ghost.Such stories are “Nie Xiao-qian”, “Qiao-niang”7, “Lin Siniang”(“Lin Fourth-
Maiden”)8, “Lian-suo”9, “Gongsun Jiuniang” (“Gongsun Nieth-Maiden”), “Mei-nu”
(“The Girl Mei”)1 0 ,“Zhang A-duan”n ,“Xiang-qun”1 2 , “Wu Qiu-yue”1 3 , and “Xiao
Xie”(“Little Xie”)1 4 . There are also romances between a human being and a fox.
Such stories are “Jiao-na”1 5 , “Qing-feng” 1 6 and “Xin Shisi Niang” (“Xin Fourteenth
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Maiden”)1 7 , “Lian-xiang”1 8 and “Hong-yu” (“Red Jade”) 1 9 . A human being and a
fish spirit can fall for each other, as in “Bai Qiu-lian”20. Besides that, a human being
and a mouse (“A-qian”2 1 ) or a human being and a bee (“Luyi Nu”/ “The Girl in
Green”2 2 ) can also develop feelings and eventually get married. The intensity of
feelings is strong enough to let the humans and the supernaturals forget differences
between themselves and show affection for each other: the cases of companionship
between women and men, as discussed in Chapter 2, are excellent examples.
Love in LZZY stories has already become universal love. Just as mentioned above,
it can be realized not only by the humans, but also by the supernaturals. Besides,
love which happens between these two worlds not only touches upon romance
between a male and a female, but also touches upon various relationships involved in
a society: companionship, kinship, friendship and so on. It is a virtue nurtured by
both the humans and the supernaturals, and a virtue contributing to the establishment
of the ideal world in the LZZY stories. Missions carried by the supernaturals include:
to help humans in their studies and career, as in “Hu Shi” (“Mr. Hu”)2 3 ; to assist
humans in various situations, e.g., to achieve a fortune or to drive away a shrewish
wife, as in “Ma Jie-fu”24; and to reward humans for what these supernaturals have
got from them, as in “Xiao-cui”25.
Especially to be mentioned here is the reward in the form of assistance to the
humans for what the supernaturals have got from them. The assistance rendered by
these supematurals is usually voluntary, and no reward to them is expected. As
mentioned by Fatima Y. Wu in her thesis, the supernaturals help the humans for the
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following reasons: first, they are repaying what the humans have done for them in
the past; second, they do it totally out of sympathy and compassion, or the feeling of
indignation at the situation; and last, the spirits are involved in a very trusting and
close friendship with the humans. 2 6 “Xiao-cui” is a moving story of rewarding. A
helpless fox was saved from thunder by the Wang family. Years later, in order to
reward the Wang family, the fox transformed herself into a poor lady who had a
clever daughter. The daughter Xiao-cui was sent to the Wang family as wife to the
idiot-son of the Wang family. Yet Xiao-cui never got frustrated with the husband.
Instead she tried to play with him and teach him. Mr. Wang, her father-in-law, was
charged falsely by his rival. Xiao-cui defeated the rival’s scheme through her
ingenuity. But still she was scolded by her parents-in-law. After she cured her
husband of idiocy through her magic power, she left the family. Two years later, she
returned and enjoyed a happy life with her husband. However, infertility led her to
transform herself into an ugly lady and give her beauty to another lady, for whom
she arranged a marriage with her husband. After she did all this, Xiao-cui passed
away. Jiao-na’s story27, on the other hand, is representative of friendship based upon
trust, love and the will to sacrifice oneself. Master Kong falls in love with Jiao-na at
first sight. Yet he knows that Jiao-na is not available. Understanding and respecting
Jiao-na’s choices, he doesn’t pursue her. Yet he cares about her a lot. When Jiao-na
is caught by a monster, Master Kong fights the monster to save Jiao-na, but he
himself falls dead. Jiao-na tries every means to bring him back to life. A miracle
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does happen: Master Kong recovers his breath under Jiao-na’s hands. Their
friendship based on love brings power able to transcend life and death.
Love in LZZY stories is not only involved in romances, but also involved in
companionship, kinship and friendship and helps to bring harmonious coexistence of
beings from the two worlds. The process from confrontation to compromise between
the world of the supernaturals and the world of the humans is a journey for love
between and among beings. In this process, Pu Song-ling highlights individuals
whose virtues are even more admirable than love itself. Love becomes a background,
setting off souls nobler than lovers. The readers are first moved by love, and further
moved by virtues beyond love. In this sense, the triumph of winning love is not so
valuable as the act of nurturing, seeking and safeguarding love.
In “Hu Nu” (“Fox Girl”)28, Liu Zi-gu fell in love with A-xiu. He made an offer of
marriage to her but was refused. The fox lady was fond of Liu Zi-gu and induced
him to show love for her. In carrying out her scheme, the fox lady was moved by Liu
Zi-gu’s infatuation with A-xiu and thought the two should become a couple. She
broke off with Liu and left an opportunity for them to develop their affections. What
this fox girl considered in her decision was humanity, which includes love but is
higher than love.
The fox lady Lian-xiang and the ghost lady Ms. Li were rivals in the competition
to get Scholar Song (“Lian-xiang”2 9 ). They abused each other in order to drive the
rival away. Scholar Sang got sick from sleeping with Ms. Li. Ms. Li was so ashamed
and regretful: “To be the partner of this gentleman was my ardent wish; but I had
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never any intention of causing this death.”3 0 Ms. Li and Lian-xiang, in helping
Scholar Sang to recover, began to understand each other and became harmonious
while living together. Ms. Li withdrew first by dying, and then returned and married
Scholar Sang. Then Lian-xiang died to give opportunity to them. Fourteen years
later, Lian-xiang returned in the body of a girl. “Thus they chatted of their existence
• 5 1
in a former life, which alternate tears and smiles.”
“At the extreme of feelings, ghosts and spirits can be communicated with. (After
death,) the spirit of a flower is still present and the soul of a human is still attached.
Isn’t it that they are deeply in love?” These beings live for love’s sake and die for
love’s sake. Feelings of love vary with the person, but humanity is the same. It is the
light of humanity that brightens the studio of the strange, and warms up two worlds
which stand as the two ends of existence.
Through the governance of humanity, such supernaturals as foxes, ghosts, flower
nymphs and plant spirits achieve human dignity; through the governance of
humanity, correspondence between beings becomes possible, which in turn
transcends time and space and helps to bridge the gap between the world of the
supernatural and the world of humans.
What is an Ideal World Like?
Pu Song-ling creates an ideal world of existence for the supernaturals in LZZY
stories. In correspondence with the nice feelings dominant in this world, Pu Song-
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ling establishes an environment featured by comfort and pleasure. “Fen Die”(“Pink
Butterfly”) gives a vivid description:
In summer it is not too hot. In winter it is not too cold. There are
flowers all year around Vegetables are fresh and delicious,
the names of which you cannot tell In the village it is quiet.
Even though you have walked and stayed there for a long time, you
cannot hear cocks crowing and dogs barking. There appeared a gate
facing the north, being hidden by pines and bamboos. It is already
early winter. Inside the wall is the flower tree, the name of which
cannot be told. The tree is hung by buds. At this scene, the heart is
immediately pleased From the distance comes the sound of
a zither.”3 3
Pu Song-ling says through a persona in the story: “ This is a fairy land.”3 4 It is the
environment of the fairy land that gives birth to the supernaturals who free
themselves from anxieties and worries of the dusty world, and who cherish virtues,
make efforts to cultivate warm feelings, and are able to live in harmonious
coexistence. The most unforgettable figure is Ying-ning, who is innocent, lovely and
completely kept away from the misery of the dusty world.3 5 She was brought up by a
fox lady in the remote wilderness far away from the hubbub of human beings. She
was carefree, obsessed with flowers and always accompanied by laughter. When she
showed her presence for the first time, she
was toying with a twig of plum blossoms. Her flower-features
topped the age, and the smiles across her face had a beauty that
invited touchings.”3 6
At her second appearance, she
was holding an almond blossom and lowering her head to fasten
it in her hair. Raising her head, she saw the scholar and ceased
fastening the flower; she toyed smilingly with the flower and
walked into the house.3 7
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Where did she go?
Following the old woman through the gate, he saw a path of
white flagstones lined with the flowers. The steps were strewn
with fallen petals. The winding path took them westward to
another gate, which opened into a courtyard covered by a bean
arbor supported on trellises.3 8
Going nearer,
a muted laugh was heard from outside There was a
drawn-out, chortling laugh from outside the door. As the maid
pushed her in, Ying-ning was still covering her mouth and
laughing uncontrollably The girl mastered her laughter
and stood still The old woman didn’t hear him clearly, so
the scholar had to repeat his question, which made the girl
double up with laughter She rose abruptly, hid her mouth
with a sleeve and walked out with dainty, pattering steps. Once
outside the gate she loosed a peal of laughter As she
climbed down the girl kept laughing, unable to contain herself.
When she almost reached the ground she lost her grip and fell,
whereupon she finally stopped laughing. Helping her, the scholar
gave her wrist a slight pinch. Her laugh started up again. She
leaned against the tree for a long time, unable to walk, before
i 39
it stopped.
Ying-ning even brought her laughters to the world of the humans. Her happiness,
her loveliness and her freedom from care should be contributed to that vast piece of
flower land, which helps to develop a healthy personality.
In the world of the supernatural, there is no concept of time, no dominance of
ethics and no governance of authority except in hell. Therefore, these supernaturals
are quite free in their actions: it is difficult to tell the whereabouts of these
supernaturals, and it is impossible to predict their appearance and disappearance.
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Let’s see how Xiang-yu and Jiang-xue come to the stage of the story “Xiang-yu”:
In the Taoist Temple Xia-qing at Mount Lao, the flower of Naidong
was twenty feet tall and several feet wide. The poeny was more
than ten feet high. When they were in bloom, the flowers were
as splendid as brocade. Scholar Huang from Jiaozhou built his
studio and read among these flowers. One day, he saw from
inside the window a young lady with simple clothes appearing
and disappearing among the flowers He hurried out.
However, the lady had left. Ever since then, he often saw the lady.
Then he hid himself among the trees in order that he could wait for
the lady to come. Before long, the lady came again, together with
a girl in red. From afar, both of them were of dazzling beauty.4 0
These two women were Xiang-yu and Jiang-xue. In the transitoriness of affairs,
it seemed that they could manage the world around them at their own wills. The text
reads as follows:
When he went nearer, the girl in red withdrew Startled,
the two women ran away. Their sleeves and skirts were floating,
and their waffled toward him. He ran after them until he had
already passed the short walls. But they disappeared in silence.
Suddenly the lady walked in. He was surprised
and greeted her with joy.4 1
Sometimes the environment of LZZY stories is like that of a dream world. At
other times it is similar to a real-life scenario. With the blending of the dream-world
and real-life scenarios, these supernatural characters are given wider scope of
activities and more freedom of actions. This blending is frequently present in LZZY
stories. The village in the story of “Wang Gui-an” and the sky in “Lei Cao” (“The
Thunder God”) are representatives.
One night, in the dream, (Wang) arrived at a small village by the
river. After he had passed by several houses, he found a house
with the wood gate facing the south. Inside there was the fence
of thin bamboos. He thought that this was a garden, and then he
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entered. Standing there was a tree of Yehe with red threads hung
all over the tree After he had walked a few steps, he met
with fence of weeds which was bright and clean. He entered.
There he found three rooms facing the north, with the two doors
closed. In the south were small rooms, the windows of which
were hidden by red bajiao.(“Wang Gui-an”)4 2
In “Lei Cao” (“The Thunder God” )4 3 is this scenario:
Opening his eyes he saw he was among the clouds, and
around him was a fleecy atmosphere. Jumping up in
great alarm, he felt giddy as if he had been at sea, and
underneath his feet he found a soft, yielding substance
unlike the earth. Above him were the stars, and this
made him think he was dreaming; but looking up he
saw that they were set in the sky like seeds in the cup
of a lily, varying from the size of the biggest bowl to
that of a small basin. On raising his hand he discovered
that the large stars were tightly fixed; but he managed
to pick a small one, which he concealed in his sleeve;
and then, parting the clouds beneath him, he looked
through and saw the sea glittering like silver below.
(“The Thunder God”)4 4
By offering an environment suitable for their self-development, by creating a
space open to their intervention, and by giving them freedom of action, Pu Song-ling
imbues these supernaturals with power to take their destiny into their own hands.
Personal happiness is sought, individual integrity is kept and harmonious coexistence
is realized in the world of the supernatural.
The habitants of the supernatural world are foxes, ghosts, spirits or nymphs. In the
stories we can still detect the attributive characteristics of these supernaturals as
animals or plants. Yet Pu song-ling doesn’t intend to emphasize their attributes in
original forms. Instead through his deliberate choice Pu Song-ling endows them with
the corresponding human attributes. For example, when he deals with flower
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nymphs, he chooses peony (“Ge JinV ’Purple Scarf’ 45), chrysanthemum (“Huang
Ying”46), lotus “Hehua Sanniangzi”/ “Lotus Third-Maiden”)47) and ilex (“Xiang-
yu”48) and so on. The nobility of peony, the holiness of chrysanthemum, the purity of
lotus and the persistence of ilex are all valuable properties. When he writes about
animals, such as birds and insects in “Pink Butterfly” (“Fen Die”)4 9 and “A-ying”5 0
respectively, it is apparent that he is inclined to present them as incarnations of
virtue, though they are physically weak. The most frequently present are foxes.
Though they have magic power, they never abuse this power. Instead they resort to
magic power to nurture and safeguard warm feelings between themselves.
Instead of calling attention to attributive properties of these supernaturals, Pu
Song-ling puts them into a network with subtle and manifold relationships with each
other, such as companionship, kinship, friendship and all the other feelings found in
the world of the humans. Their contact with each other is kept by respect for human
virtues such as kindness, self-sacrifice, faithfulness and sincerity, as discussed in
Chapter 2. By putting these supernaturals into such a social network, Pu Song-ling is
emphasizing the power of humanity. In LZZY stories, the supernaturals are presented
as superior to the humans, because they can hold on to these human virtues from the
beginning to the end. Their harmonious coexistence is the result of the function of
these human virtues, and proves the success of humanity.
In summary, what is the ideal world of the supernatural? It has harmonious
coexistence of beings. First, it is a society bound by mutual trust and affection.
Second, it is a society with equality between beings. As reflected in LZZY stories,
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gender equality is foremost in all relationships. Third, it is a society transcending all
the evils and corruptions as found in the world of the humans, and thus is an Utopian
society. In such a world, happiness dominates, because individual freedom is
allowed, personal integrity is maintained and human feelings are respected. In such a
world, the impossible always becomes the possible. The power of humanity enables
the habitants to transcend the boundaries between time and space and live a desirable
life.
The society in LZZY stories is basically a humane society. The successful
existence of the supernaturals proves the success of humanity. The communication
between the world of the supernatural and the world of humans is a process of
confrontation, negotiation and compromise. The highest order of harmony is
established in the end. Humanity achieves its full power in Pu Song-ling’s LZZY
stories.
The world of the supernaturals in LZZY stories is a fantasy world standing in
opposition to the world of the humans. Questions exposed in the confrontations of
the two worlds are reflections of the evils and corruptions of the world of the
humans. All these evils and corruptions can come to one thing, the disregard for
human virtues. However, Pu Song-ling can draw on affirmative factors in the human
world and enhance them to the status of dominance in the supernatural world and
thus encourage human beings to look at life with confidence and hope. LZZY stories
suggest the possibility of a humane society. Fantasies in LZZY stories, instead of
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leading human beings to an illusory other world, let human beings despise the
present world and in the meantime, try to better this world by human efforts.
Notes:
1. “Xiang-yu”, LZZY, ed. Zhu Qi-kai et al. (Beijing: Renmin wenxue
chubanshe) p. 1528.
2. “Gongsun Jiuniang” (“Gongsun Nineth-Maiden”), ibid., pp.487-493.
3. ibid., p.488.
4. “Lian-cheng”, ibid., pp.361-366.
5. “Nie Xiao-qian”, ibid., p. 160.
6. “Luocha haishi” (“The Raksasas and the Ocean Bazaar”, ibid., p.465.
7. “Qiao-ning”, ibid., pp.251-258.
8. “Lin Siniang” (“Lin Fourth-Maiden”), ibid., pp.278-282.
9. “Lian-suo”, ibid., pp.327-334.
10. “Mei nu” (“The Girl Mei”), ibid., pp.904-910.
11. “Zhang A-duan”, ibid., pp.629-633.
12. “Xiang-qun”, ibid., pp.1319-1324.
13. “Wu Qiu-yue”, ibid., pp.666-669.
14. “Xiao Xie” (“Xiao Xie”), pp.776-782.
15. “Jiao-na”, ibid., pp.60-67.
16. “Qing-feng”, ibid., pp. 117-123.
17. “Xin Shisiniang” (“Xin Fourteenth-Maiden”), ibid., pp.545-554.
18. “Lian-xiang”, ibid., pp.219-229.
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19. “Hong-yu” (“Red Jade”), ibid., pp.269-275.
20. “Bai Qiu-lian”, ibid., pp. 1462-1468.
21. “A-qian”, ibid., pp.1374-1378.
22. “Luyi Nu” (“The Girl in Green”), ibid., pp.675-676.
23. “Hu Shi” (“Mr. Hu”), ibid., pp.293-296.
24. “Ma Jie-fu”, ibid., pp.715-733.
25. “Xiao-cui”, ibid., pp.997-1005.
26. Fatima Y. Wu, M.A. thesis, Foxes in Chinese Supernatural Tales.{ Los Angeles:
University of Sourthern California, 1987).
27. “Jiao-na”, ibid., pp.60-67.
28. “Hu Nu” (“Fox Girl”), ibid., pp. 1503-1504.
29. “Lian-xiang”, ibid., pp.219-229.30. Pu Song-ling, “Miss Lien-hsiang, The
Fox-Girl”, Strange Stories From A Chinese Studio, trans. Herbert A. Giles.
(New Yok: Boni and Liveright, 1925) pp.73.
31. ibid., p. 114.
32. “Xiang-yu”, LZZY, p. 1526.
33. “Fen die” (“Pink Butterfly”), ibid., pp.1635-1637.
34. ibid., p. 1637.
35. “Ying-ning”, ibid., pp.150-159.
36. “Ying-ning”, Strange Tales from Make-do Studio, trans., Benis C. & Victor
Mair.(Beijing: Foreign Language Press, 1989.) p.73.
37. ibid., p.77.
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38. ibid., p.78.
39. ibid., pp.79-81.
40. “Xiang-yu”, LZZY, p. 1523.
41. ibid., p.1523.
42. “Wang Gui-an”, ibid., pp.1594-1598.
43. “Lei Cao” (“The Thunder God”), ibid., pp.421-425.
44. “The Thunder God”, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, trans. Herbert A.
Giles. (New York: Boni and Liveright, 1925.).
45. “Ge-jin” (“Purple Scarf”), LZZY, pp. 1422-1428.
46. “Huang-ying”, ibid., pp. 1431-1436.
47. “Hehua San Niangzi” “’’ Lotus Third-Maiden”), ibid., pp.679-682.
48. “Xiang-yu”, ibid., pp.1523-1528.
49. “Fen Die” (“Pink Butterfly”), pp. 1635-1638.
50. “A-ying”, ibid., pp.915-920.
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Attachment 1
The Head of the Beauty
Some businessmen stayed in a hotel in the capital city. The hotel was linked with
the neighboring house. There was only a board wall standing in between. On the
board wall a pine knot had fallen out, leaving a hole as big as a cup. All of sudden, a
woman popped her head in through the hole who wore her hair in a coil and looked
extremely beautiful. Immediately after that, she extended one of her arms, which was
as white as jade. Everyone thought that she was a spirit. They were going to catch
her, but she had already retreated. After a moment, she came again, but they could
not see her body on the other side of the wall. When they ran to catch her, she
retreated again. One businessman lay under the wall, holding a knife in his hand.
After a short moment the head came out. The businessman cut it immediately. The
head dropped with the movement of his hand, and blood splashed over the dust.
Everyone was frightened. They went to report it to the host. The host was scared, and
went to the local authorities with the head. Then the authorities arrested those
businessmen and questioned them. What they said was very absurd. They were kept
in prison for half a year. Since from beginning to end they could not give a
reasonable confession and there was nobody bringing the charge of homicide, the
businessmen were released. The head of the woman was buried.
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Attachment2
A Chivalrous Girl
Scholar Gu was a native of Jinling. He was gifted in many ways, but
impoverished in family property. Because of the old age of his mother, he didn’t feel
like leaving her side. He could do nothing but make paintings and calligraphy for
others during the day and made his own living by gifts from them. At the time he
was twenty-five years old, and had no spouse yet. Across the street there had been a
vacancy. An old woman and a young girl rented the house. Because there was no
man in the family, they didn’t ask who they were. One day, he happened to return
home from the outside, when he caught the young girl stepping out of his mother’s
room. She was eighteen or nineteen years old and had a beauty and a grace, whose
peer was hard to be found in the world. When she saw Scholar Gu, she didn’t turn
away from him much, but looked serious. Scholar Gu entered and inquired of his
mother about her. His mother said:” She is the girl from across the street. She came
to borrow scissors and a ruler. Just now she mentioned that in her family she was
only her mother. The girl doesn’t look like being from a poor family. When asked
why she hadn’t been engaged, she mentioned the old age of her mother as the reason.
Tomorrow we’d better pay a visit to her mother, and at a suitable moment I’ll drop
the hint of our wishes. If their demands are not excessive, you, my son, can support
her mother for her in her old age.” The next day she visited her house and found her
mother was deaf. Looking around, she could not find food for the following day.
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When asked about livelihood, she said that it all depended upon her daughter’s
embroidery. Gradually she suggested the idea of eating together; the old woman
seemed to agree, but turn to her daughter to consult with her. The girl said nothing
and looked rather displeased. The mother then returned. Considering the case
carefully, she expressed her doubts: “Isn’t it that the girl doesn’t like us because we
are poor? She neither speaks much nor smiles much. She is as beautiful as peach or
plum blossoms but as cold as frost and snow. A strange girl!” The mother and the
son sighed in puzzlement and let the matter drop.
On day when the scholar was sitting in his studio, a young man came to request
some paintings. He was handsome but frivolous in manners. When asked where he
was from, he responded that he had come from a neighboring village. Thereafter, he
came once every two or three days. Gradually they became familiar with each other
and began to joke with each other. When the scholar took him into his arms in an
intimate way, he didn’t resist much; then they became intimate with each other.
From then on their contact with each other became quite frequent. One time the girl
happened to pass by. The young man followed her with his eyes and asked who she
was. Ku responded that it was the girl from the neighborhood. The young man said:
“She is so beautiful, and yet why is she so forbidding in looks and attitude?” After a
while, the scholar went inside. His mother said: “ Just now the girl came to borrow
rice and said they hadn’t had meal for days. This girl treats her mother very well.
They are so destitute that we should be sympathetic with them and give them relief.”
The scholar followed his mother’s words. He carried one peck of rice, knocked at the
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door and expressed his mother’s thoughts. The girl took it, but didn’t say thanks. One
day, when she came to the scholar’s home, she saw that his mother was making
clothes, so she did some sewing for her. She went in and out of the hall, and acted as
if she were a housewife. The scholar appreciated her even more. Whenever he got
cakes given by somebody else, he would be sure to share them with her mother, but
the girl didn’t show thanks with words or expression. It happened that his mother had
boils in her private places and wailed day and night. The girl often came to visit her
by her bed, and cleaned the sores and applied medicines for three or four times a day.
The mother felt quite ill at ease, but the girl didn’t show disdain for the filth. The
mother said: “ Ah! Where could I find a daughter-in-law like you, who could look
after me till my death?” After she finished speaking, she sobbed. The girl tried to
comfort her: “ Your son is extremely kind and obedient to you, and you are much
better than my widowed mother with me!” The mother said: “ Is such bedside
service something that a filial son can do? Besides, I am getting old toward the dusk
of my life, and overnight I may die from a chill. I feel deeply worried by the family
line of descent.” While she was speaking, the scholar entered. The mother wept and
said: “ I owe this young lady so much, so don’t forget to repay her kindness.” The
scholar knelt down before her. The girl said: “ You pay courtesy to my mother, but I
haven’t showed thanks to you. Why do you thank me?” Then he appreciated even
more. But she was stiff in behavior, and there was no way to penetrate her shell.
One day when the girl was going out, the scholar followed her with his eyes.
Suddenly the girl looked back, and gave him a winsome smile. The scholar was
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overjoyed. He walked quickly and followed her to her house. He made advances to
her, and she didn’t resist. They coupled joyfully. After they finished, she warned
him: “ This kind of affair may happen only once and won’t happen again.” The
scholar left with reply. The next day when he asked her again, the girl met him with
a stern countenance and went away. During the day he frequently paid visits, and
they often met with each other, but she didn’t give him a word or a glance. He teased
her a bit, and then was frozen by her cold words. All of a sudden she asked the
scholar in a secluded place: “ Who is that young man visiting during the day?” The
scholar told her about him. The girl said: “ In his behavior and manners, he has
affronted me many times! Since you are intimate with him, I let it pass. Please give
him a message for me: if he does that again, he won’t live long!”
The scholar told the young man: “ You must be careful. She is not to be played
with.” The guy said: “ If she is not to be played with, why did you play with her?”
The scholar professed he had done nothing. The young man said: “ If you have done
nothing, how did those indecent words come to be heard by you?” The scholar could
not respond. The young man said: “ I also trouble you to give a message to the
hypocrite. Don’t put on a show. Otherwise I’ll let everyone know.” The scholar was
very angry, and couldn’t disguise his feelings on his face. Then the young man left.
One evening Gu was sitting alone, when suddenly the girl arrived and smiled: “ Our
love affair hasn’t ended. It must be fate.” The scholar was mad with joy and took her
in his arms. Suddenly they heard hurried footsteps. The two got up in alarm, and then
the young man opened the door and came in. The scholar asked in surprise: “ What
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are you doing?” The guy said with a smile: “ I am just here to observe the chaste
woman.” He looked at the girl and said: “ Today you are not offended?” The girl,
with her brows up and cheeks reddened, uttered no word. In a hurry she turned over
her outer garment and revealed a leather bag. What sprang into her hand was a
glistening dagger about one foot long. At this sight, the young man was scared and
fled. She chased him outside, but could find nobody. She tossed the dagger into the
air, was a clatter and a light as brilliant as a long rainbow.
After a moment, something made a noise of dropping to the ground. The scholar
hurried to it with a candle, and found it to be a white fox, with its head and body
separated. He was greatly frustrated. The girl said: “ This is your pleasure boy. I’d
have forgiven him, yet what could I do if he didn’t want to live!” She put the knife
back into the bag. The scholar asked the girl to go inside. He said: “ Just now the evil
spirit has destroyed the mood. Please wait till tomorrow evening.” She went right out
the gate.
The next evening the girl came as promised and they made love. When asked
about her skill, she said: “ This is not for you to know. I should keep this secret,
because if it gets out, it’ll be your misfortune.” He then proposed marriage. She said:
“ I sleep with you, and carry water for you. Isn’t that being a wife? We are already
husband and wife. Why bother to mention marriage?” The scholar said: “ Do you
hate that I am poor?” She said: “ You are indeed poor, but am I rich? The reason that
I meet you tonight is exactly that I feel sorry about your poverty.” Before parting she
enjoined him: “ Improper action cannot be repeated. If I should come, I will come.
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if I shouldn’t come, there is no good in forcing it.” When they met later on,
whenever he tried to induce her to have an intimate chat, the girl would avoid
him. But, as for the sewing, the mending and cooking, she managed all of these. She
was as good as a wife.
Several months later her mother died. The scholar exhausted every resource to
bury her. Thereafter the girl lived by herself. The scholar thought that now she was
alone, so it was possible to have his way with her. He crossed over the wall, and
called her frequently through the window, but got no response. He looked at the door
and found the bolt locked to an empty house. He suspected that the girl had someone
else for dating. During the night he went again and it was the same situation. Then he
left a jade-pendant by the window and went away. One day later they met at his
mother’s room. After he went out, she followed him and said: “ Are you doubtful of
me? Everybody has his own heart and there are things that cannot be told. Now even
if I tried to dispel your doubts, how could I? However I have one thing to ask about
your advice.” When he asked, she said: “I have been pregnant for eight months. I am
afraid I’ll give birth to a baby in no time. I have no legitimate status. I can give birth
to a baby for you, but cannot raise this baby for you. You can tell your mother in
secret to search for a wet nurse, and act as if you had adopted a child. Don’t mention
me.” The scholar consented and told this to his mother. The mother smiled and said:
“What a strange girl! It is not possible to make a formal engagement with her, yet
she develops this relationship with my son.” She was happy to follow her idea and
waited for the moment. Then about one month passed. The girl hadn’t come for
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several days. The mother had doubts, and went to check the date, but all was in
desolation and stillness. She knocked for some time, and then the girl came from
inside, her hair disheveled and face dirty. She opened the gate, let her in and closed it
again. Entering the room, the mother found a bawling baby lying on the bed. The
mother inquired in surprise: “ How many days ago did it come?” The girl responded”
“ Three days ago.” She lifted the baby’s wrap and found it was a boy, with full
cheeks and broad forehead. She said happily: “ You have given birth to a grandson
for me. You are by yourself. Whom are you going to depend upon?” The girl said:
“Such a trivial problem. I dare not disclose it to you. When it is night and there is
nobody, you can take the baby away.” The mother returned and told her son all about
this, and they both felt strange about it. In the night they went to fetch the baby.
Several months later, it was almost mid-night, the girl suddenly knocked at the gate,
carrying in her hands a leather bag, and said with a smile:” I have finished my task.
Now, I bid farewell to you.” He urgently asked the reason. She said:” I’ll never
forget your kindness in looking after my mother. I said before, ‘It happened once,
and would not happen again’, because going bed together is not a way of repaying a
favor. Considering that you cannot marry because of poverty, I am giving you a
descendent to continue your family line. I expected to accomplish it at the first try,
but my period came again, and so I broke my vow of abstinence and tried again.
Now your kindness has been repaid, and my goal has been realized. There are no
more regrets!” He picked it up and looked at it. Its beard and hair were smeared with
blood. Extremely scared, he went on with his questions. She said:” Before I didn’t
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speak about it to you, because I was afraid that the secret might get out.Now that the
task has been finished, there is no harm in telling you all about it. I am from
Zhejiang. My father held the position of vice-prefect and fell a foul of an enemy,
who confiscated. I brought my old mother away. I have kept my name and
whereabouts secretly for three years. The reason that I didn’t take revenge right away
was simply that I had my mother by me. After my mother went away, I had this bit
of flesh in my belly, so I was delayed for some more time. I went out that night for
no other reason than that I was not familiar with the roads and houses. I was afraid I
might make a mistake.” After she finished speaking and went outside, she exhorted
him again: “ The son I bore, please take care of him. You have not much fortune and
cannot live long, yet this son can bring glory to your family. In the deep of night I
dare not disturb your mother. I’ll leave now.” He was sad and was about to ask her
future whereabouts. Like a lightning flash she disappeared in an instant. The scholar
sighed and stood woodenly, as if he had lost his spirit. In the morning he told his
mother, and they sighed in amazement. After three years the scholar died as
predicted. At the age of eighteen, his son was successful in the examination at the
level of Presented Scholar. He continued to look after his grandmother till her death
in old age.
The Historian of the Strange comments: “ You must have a chivalrous lady before
you have a pleasure boy. Otherwise, while you love this young boar, he will love
your sow.”
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Attachments
Red Jade
An old man, Mr. Feng in Guangping1 , had one son, who styled himself Xiangru.
Both father and son were Confucian scholars. The old man was almost in his sixties.
He was upright by nature but often destitute. Within several years, his wife and his
daughter-in-law left the world in succession, so he himself managed such affairs as
water carrying and rice pounding. One night, Xiangru was sitting in the moonlight,
when he caught the girl from next-door house to the east peeping over the wall.
When he watched her, he found she was beautiful; when he approached her, he met
with a gentle smile; when he waved to her, she neither came nearer nor went away.
He insistently beckoned to her, then she climbed over by a ladder, and they slept
together in the bedroom. When he asked her name, she said: “I am the girl Red Jade
from the neighborhood.” The scholar was very fond of her, and pledged life-long
love with her. The girl consented to it. Then she visited him every night for about
half a year. One night, the old man got up and heard the speech and laughter of a girl
in the son’s room. He peeped in and saw the girl. Angered, he demanded his son to
come out and abused him: “You beast! What are you doing? We are in such dire
straits, but it’s bad enough that you don’t work hard and you’ve even been licentious.
Do you even follow the licentious? If it is known by anybody else, you’ll lose your
virtue; even if it isn’t known by anybody else, you’ll shorten your life!” The young
scholar knelt down and confessed everything. He expressed his remorse with tears.
The old man reprimanded the girl: “ A girl like you who doesn’t follow the rules not
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only defames herself but also defames others. If it is disclosed, it is not only my
family that will be disgraced!” After he finished his scolding, he went angrily back to
bed. The girl said tearfully: “ Your father’s rebuke really made me feel ashamed! We
two are already at the end of our predestined relationship!” Scholar Feng said: “ As
long as my father is present, I have no right to decide on my own. If you have
affection for me, I hope you can bear your shame.” The girl was firm in her refusal,
and then tears fell from Scholar Feng’s eyes. The girl tried to stop his crying: “ You
and I approach each other without an arrangement by a match-maker or our parents,
but improperly and on the sly. How can we remain together to the end of our lives?
Near here there is a true match for you. You can ask somebody to send gifts to
betroth her.” Scholar Feng told that he was poor. The girl said: “ Tomorrow night
please wait for me. I’ll find a solution for you.” The next evening, the girl came as
promised. She took out forty-taels of silver, gave them to the scholar and said: “Sixty
li away there is a Miss Wei in the village of Wu. She is eighteen years old and hasn’t
been betrothed yet, for she is too high in bride. Send her expensive gifts. It is certain
they’ll give their assent.” After saying this, she said goodbye and left. At a
convenient time the scholar told his father that he intended to see the girl, but didn’t
dare talk about the silver. The old man himself reckoned that they did not have
enough wealth and stopped him for this reason. The scholar went on in a roundabout
way: “ Let’s try it and see.” The old man nodded in agreement. Then the scholar
borrowed a horse and servants and went to the W ei’s. Old Wei had long been a
farmer. The scholar called him out and had a chat with him. Wei knew that the
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scholar was from a notable family and could see that he was dignified in appearance
and sanguine in disposition. He agreed with the proposal of engagement at heart. Yet
he worried that the scholar might be unwilling to offer much money. When the
scholar heard his uncertainty, understanding his intent, he poured out all he had in
his bag onto te table. At this, Wei was satisfied, and he asked a neighbor to make a
match, writing the engagement on a red card. The scholar entered the house to pay a
courtesy visit to the old mother. The room was cramped and the girl
hid behind her mother. He was happy in his heart when he found in a glance that the
girl looked beautiful though she was dressed simply. Wei borrowed one room to
entertain his son-in-law and told him: “ You don’t have to come in person to
welcome your bride. After we have made up the trousseau, we will send somebody
to carry it all there immediately.” The scholar fixed a date with them and returned
home. He told his father a lie that Old Wei liked poor scholars and didn’t care about
wealth. The old man was also very happy. When the date arrived, Wei sent his
daughter to their house as promised. The girl was hardworking and thrifty, and
treated her parents-in-law well. The husband and wife were in deep affection for
each other. Two years later, they gave birth to a son, and named him Happiness. On
the day of Clear-and- B right2, they carried their baby to the graveyard to honor the
dead. They met a member of the local gentry Song. Song had held the position of
Censor before, but had been dismissed from office for accepting bribes. While living
in the countryside, he abused power to mistreat others. That day he also went to
honor the dead and on the way back, he saw the wife of Scholar Feng , and admired
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her beauty. He asked the village residents and found out she was the spouse of
Scholar Feng. He thought that Feng, a poor scholar, might be swayed by using many
gifts as bait. Then he sent a servant to hint the message. As soon as he heard this, the
scholar could not help showing anger on his face. Considering he could not rival him
in force, he concealed his anger in a smile. When he returned, he told his father the
matter. The old man was infuriated and rushed out. He cursed the Song family in
every way, gesticulating wildly at the sky and the earth. The servant fled like a
mouse. Song also got infuriated. He finally sent several men to the house of Scholar
Feng, who beat Old Feng and his son in a scene of seething turmoil. When she heard
the noise, the girl left the baby on the bed and cried for help, her hair disheveled. The
group of servants carried her away. The father and the son was greatly wounded.
They groaned on the ground, while the baby was crying in the room. The neighbours
were all sympathetic with them and supported them to the bed. One day later, the
scholar could stand up with the support of cane. The old man was so angry that he
refused to eat anything. He spit out blood and then died. The scholar cried bitterly.
He carried his son with him and went to lodge a complaint, all the way to the
General Governor and the Roving Inspector. He complained in almost every office
but could not redress the grievance in the end. Later on he heard that his wife had
refused to submit and died, and he became even sadder. The grievance choked his
chest and throat, but he had no way to go. He often had the idea of intercepting and
assassinating Song, but had the worry that he might have many retinues with him and
he could find nobody to look after his son in his place. He was in sad memories day
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and night, and could not go to sleep. Suddenly there came a male to console him,
who had curled beard and broad jaw. Scholar Feng had never had any acquaintance
with him before. He invited him to stay and inquired him about is origin and family.
The guest said straightforwardly: “ You have the hatred that your father was killed
and the resent that your wife was taken away. Have you forgotten to take a
revenge?” The scholar had doubts that he might be a spy from the Song’s, so he
pretended to respond to him but in a muddling way. The guest glared in anger. He
suddenly got up to leave, saying: “I thought that you were a real man. Now I have
just realized you are a wretch not worthy of mention.” The scholar noticed that he
was different, so he knelt down, tried to get him to stay, and said: “ I was really
afraid that the Song family was tempting to spy on me. Now I tell the true thoughts
at the depth of my heart. I have been determined to take a revenge for many days
now. It is only that I love this baby in the swaddling clothes and have the worry that
my family line may be broken. You are a gallant man. Can you take care of my
household for me?” The guest said: “ This should be done by a woman or a girl. It is
beyond my ability. What you want to consign to the care of somebody else, you
should deal with by yourself; what you want to do yourself, I can do for you
instead.” Hearing this, the scholar knelt down and bowed toward him. The guest
didn’t pay any attention and went out. The scholar caught up with him and asked his
surname and first name. The guest said: “ If not successful in my revenge, I won’t
accept your blame; if successful, I won’t accept your gratitude.” Then he left. The
scholar was afraid he might be involved the disaster, so he fled carrying his son.
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When it was night, the Song family went to sleep. Somebody climbed over several
walls and killed Censor Song , his two sons, one of his daughters-in-law and one
maid. The Song family brought a lawsuit to local authorities. The county magistrate
was shocked. The Song family insisted that the murders were committed by Feng
Xiangru. Then the authorities sent bailiffs to catch the scholar. But the scholar had
already fled and nobody knew his whereabouts. In this case, it seemed to be true that
the scholar was guilty of the killings. The servants from the Song family and the
bailiffs searched carefully everywhere. At night they reached the Southern Mountain
and heard a baby crying. They traced the cries and caught the scholar. They bound
him and took him away. The baby was crying even more bitterly. The men seized the
baby and threw him away. The scholar was so sad and angry that he got almost dead.
When he was taken to the county magistrate, the magistrate asked him: “ Why did
you commit murder?” The scholar said: “This is injustice! Supervisor Song was
killed at night, while I left during the day. Besides I held a baby in the arms. How
could I climb over the walls and kill people?” The magistrate then said: “ If you
didn’t kill anybody, then why did you ran away?” The scholar could respond with
no word and could not defend for himself. Then he was put into prison. The scholar
cried: “ It was not worthy of having pity on my death. But what is the fault of the
baby?” The magistrate said: “ You have killed sons of others. What complaints do
you have if your son is killed?” The scholar was deprived of his title, and was beaten
cruelly for many times, but didn’t confess the commitment of a crime. That night the
magistrate had just gone to bed, when he heard something hitting the bed and giving
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loud noises. He screamed in terror. The whole family were startled. They gathered
and lit up a candle, and found a dagger which was shining like frost was stick in the
bed one inch deep and was too firm to be dragged out. Seeing this, the magistrate
was frightened out of his wits. They took weapons and searched everywhere but
couldn’t even find any trace. The magistrate was disheartened. Besides Censor Song
had already died and there was nobody to be afraid of. Then he wrote a report to the
upper level of government, pled grievance for Feng and asked for an absolution for
Feng. At last Scholar Feng was released. When the scholar returned home, he could
find no rice in the jar, and sat alone in face of the empty walls on the four sides.
Thanks to the neighbors who had pity on him by providing food, he could barely
make his living. When he thought of the great revenge that had been taken, he
became happy; when he thought of the disaster of the near extermination of his
family, he couldn’t help shedding tears; when he thought of his status of being poor
to the bone for half of his life and having no descendant to go on with the family
line, when by himself he was choked with tears and couldn’t hold himself. He lived
in this way for half a year. Over time the decree of catching the culprit became much
looser. Then he asked the county magistrate to make a decision of returning his
wife’s bones. After he buried her and returned home, he was so sad that he would
like to die. He tossed and turned in bed and could not even find a way out. Suddenly
he heard somebody knocking at the door. Listening attentively, he heard there was
somebody outside the door, who was whispering with a child. In a hurry the scholar
rose up and peeped out. There seemed to be a girl. As soon as the door was opened,
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she asked: “The grievance has just been cleared. I hope that you didn’t suffer much?”
Her voices were familiar to him, but he could not recall at the moment. Lit up with a
candle, it proved to be Red Jade. She led a child by her hand, who was playing
between her legs. The scholar had no time to ask questions, but held her to the arms
and wept bitterly. The girl was also sad. After a moment she pushed the child:
“Have you forgotten your father?” The child pulled on the clothes of Red Jade and
stared at the scholar with sparkling eyes. When the scholar looked carefully, he
found that it was Happiness. Greatly surprised, he asked in tears: “ My son, where
are you from?” The girl said: “ I’ll tell you the truth: I told you before that I was a
girl from the neighborhood. This is not true. I am actually a fox. That night when I
was walking I saw Happiness crying in a valley. I carried him to Qin and look after
him there. I heard that the disaster had calmed down. So I brought him here to have a
reunion with you.” The scholar thanked her in tears. The child stayed in the arms of
Red Jade as if he were snuggling up to his mother, and couldn’t even recognize his
father. Before the dawn, the girl arose. When asked, she answered: “ I am going to
leave.” The scholar knelt on the bed, with nothing on his body. He could not raise his
head for crying . The girl said in smile: “ I was just fooling you. We have just
established our household. We must rise early and sleep late.” Then she weeded,
swept, and worked like a man. The scholar was worried that they could not support
themselves because of poverty. The girl said: “ I only need you to withdraw and
study. You don’t need to ask about finances. We won’t starve to death.” Then she
brought out money and bought weaving equipment. She rented farmland of several
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•2
tens of mu , and hired men to till the land. Everyday she was busy with hoeing up
weeds or pulling down vives to mend up the house. The neighbors heard that she was
virtuous and able and were more and more willing to help her with money.
About half a year later, they were thriving in living and were like a rich family.
The scholar said: “You have rebuilt the home from a heap of ashes! But still we have
one problem not settled yet. What should we do?” When being questioned, he told:
“The examination date is coming, but my qualification of Scholar hasn’t be given
back yet.” Red Jade said with a smile: “ I have already given four taels to the
education officer. They have already resumed your title and put you on record. If I
wait till you mention it, I am afraid you would have missed the chance.” The scholar
felt even more that she was wise. In this field he was successful and got the title “the
Recommended”.
At that time he was thirty-six years old. His family had fertile land piece after
piece and a fine house. The girl was graceful when walking like floating wind, but
more able than farm wives when working. Though it was deep winter she
herself still laboured but her hands were fine and smooth as if cream had been
applied. She said that she was twenty-eight. But she seemed to be about twenty.
The Historian of the Strange says: “ The son is talented and the father is virtuous,
so Heaven rewards them fairly. Not only are knights chivalrous; so are foxes. A
strange experience! But the officials were absurd, making one’s hair stand up in
anger. The knight-errant inserted a sharp dagger in the bed. But what a shame that he
didn’t move the dagger over by half a foot and killed the magistrate instead. If Su
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Zimei happened to read this story, he might drink a full cup of wine and sighed: “A
pity that we missed hitting him!”4
Notes:
1 .Guang Ping was the name of a county, the center of which lied to the south east of
the present-day Yongnian of Hebei province.
2. “Clear-and Bright” is one of the twenty-four solar terms in traditional Chinese
calender. It is on April 5 according to the traditional calender. On that date, people
go to the graveyard to honor the dead.
3. “mu” is the measure word in Chinese.
4. Zimei is the style of the famous Song poet Su shunqing. When he read History o f
Han.Biography o f Zhang Liang , he felt it a pity that Zhang Liang hadn’t shot
Qinshi the Emperor. He commented: “ It was a pity that he missed hitting him.”
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Attachment4
The Woman Yan
A scholar from Shuntian was from a poor family. It was a year of famine. So he
followed his father to Luoyang. He was slow in mind. It was not until he was
seventeen years old that he became able to write a complete composition. But he had
fine and delicate features. Besides, he could play witty jokes and was good at writing
letters. People who read them could not tell that he had an empty mind. Before long
his parents died in succession. He was left alone. Then he made a living by teaching
children around Luoyang. At that time there lived in the village an orphan girl from
the Yan family. She was the descendant of a renowned scholar. In her childhood she
had already shown her talents. When her father was alive, he taught her to read. She
could remember everything once she read it. In her early teens she learned to recite
and compose poems from her father. Her father said: “ We have a woman scholar in
my family. But alas, she can not wear a scholar’s hat!” He was very fond of her, so
he hoped to engage her to somebody from a noble family. After her father died, her
mother held on to this aim, but still couldn’t realize the aim after three years had
passed. Then her mother left the world. Somebody advised her to marry an
outstanding scholar. The girl agreed with the idea, but was not successful.
Once a woman from next door came over to have a chat with her. The woman
wrapped embroidery threads with a piece of paper with writing on it. The girl opened
it and found it was a letter written by hand to the husband next door. She read it over
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and over and became attracted by it. The woman from the neighborhood saw what
was in her mind. She said to her in a low voice: “ This was written by a handsome
young man, who like you has lost his parents and is of almost the same age as you. If
you are inclined to know him, I’ll ask my husband to introduce you two and bring
you together.” The girl didn’t say anything, but her silence disclosed her intent.
When she returned home, the woman told her husband the girl’s intent. The husband
next door was on good terms with the young scholar. So he told this matter to him,
who was overjoyed at this news. The scholar had a gold ring left by his mother. He
then asked the husband to send it to Ms. Yan. They set a date, and then held the
wedding ceremony. They were happy in affection for each other like fish to water.
When she read the compositions by the scholar, she laughed and said: “ Your
compositions and you don’t match with each other. In this way, when can you
become successful?” Day and night, like a strict teacher or friend, she urged her
husband to read hard. When dusk came, she lit the candle, went to the desk and
began to read by herself in order that she could serve as an example to her husband.
She didn’t stop her reading until the third watch was struck. More than one year
passed in this way. Then the scholar was quite improved in his studies. But he failed
in two examinations successively. Both his fortune and fame were affected. They
were in great economic difficulty and could not even ensure the sustenance of two
meals. In his low spirits he couldn’t help weeping. The girl chided him: “ You are no
man. You are unworthy of the hat on your head! If I could change hair style and
wear a hat, it would be as easy as plucking a blade of grass for me to win the position
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of an official!” The scholar, vexed by frustrations and hearing these words from his
wife, stared at his wife and said angrily: “ A woman in the chamber like you has
never sat in the examination hall. Then you regard winning fame and fortune to be as
easy as your fetching water and boiling gruel in the kitchen: if you had a hat on your
head, I am afraid you were no better than me!” The girl said with a smile: “ Please
hold your temper. When it is the date of examination, please let me change clothes
and take part in the examination instead of you. If I fail as you did, I will never dare
look down upon any scholars in the world.” The scholar also smiled and said:
“Since you have never tasted the bitterness of oak gall, I should let you have a try. I
only have the dread if it were known by our neighbors in the village you would be
laughed at.” The girl said: “ I am not teasing you. You have said you have housing in
your hometown. I ask you to bring me back in male clothes. I’ll pretend to be your
brother. You left your hometown when you were very young. Then who will ever
see through the scheme?” The scholar approved of her idea. Then the girl entered the
bedroom, changed into male clothes and then came out. She asked: “ Can you regard
me qualified as man?” Looking at her, the scholar found an out-of-the-ordinary
young man. The scholar was delighted. They bid farewell to every acquaintance in
the village. His friends gave him some money. He bought a lean donkey and took his
wife on the donkey back to his hometown.
The scholar still had a cousin there. When the cousin saw that his two brothers
were handsome, he felt happy. Day and night he took good care of them. Besides,
seeing them working hard with books from early in the morning till late at night, he
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admired them even more. He hired a short-haired child slave for them to serve their
daily needs.
When night came they would send him away. When there was funeral or wedding
in the village, it was the elder brother who went out to circulate socially, while the
younger brother drew the curtains and read at home. Half a year passed, but rarely
had people caught sight of the younger brother. Some visitors asked to see the
younger one, but then the elder always made excuses for his brother. When people
read his essays they were amazed. When some people pushed open the door and
drew near him, he always gave a bow and then left. All of those who had caught a
glimpse of him showed great admiration for him. Thus he became quite famous. Old
and well-known families strived to take him in as son-in-law. When their cousin
consulted with him, he only replied with smiles. When the cousin further urged him,
he then said: “ I am determined to obtain high office. Before the realization of that, I
won’t marry.” It happened that the school inspector came to hold examinations. The
two went together. The elder brother failed again. The younger brother ranked first.
Then he continued to attend the higher level of examinations in Shuntian county and
was awarded number four. The following year he got the title of “the Presented
Scholar”. He was appointed Magistrate of Tongcheng, where he made great
achievements. Soon after that he was promoted to the position of Censor-in-charge-
of-seal in Henan circuit. He was as wealthy as a prince or marquis. At that time, he
made the pretext of bad health and asked to resign from office. His request was
permitted and he returned to his hometown. Guests coming to visit him crowded his
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gate, yet he apologized and turned all of them away. Besides, ever since he got the
title of scholar, he never mentioned taking a wife. There was nobody who didn’t
consider him strange. After he returned home, he gradually bought some maids.
Somebody suggested that he had relations with those maids. His cousin’s wife
investigated, but could find nothing licentious.
Before long, the Ming dynasty was overturned and the world was in disorder.
Then he told his cousin’s wife: “I’ll tell you the truth now. I am the wife of your
brother-in-law. Since he is good for nothing and cannot make a career for himself, in
a fit of pique I did it by myself. I have the dread if this is disclosed we may be
summoned and questioned by the emperor. Then we’ll be laughed at by people
everywhere.” The cousin’s wife didn’t believe her. Then she took off her boots and
showed her feet to the cousin’s wife. At this sight the cousin’s wife was greatly
surprised: the boots were filled with old cotton. From then on she let her husband
assume her title while she stayed behind closed doors as a submissive female.
However she had never got pregnant, so she gave her husband money to buy a
concubine. She told her husband: “ A man will buy a concubine to serve him as soon
as he is in a high position. I have sat in office for ten years but have remained single.
Where do you get so much fortune, so that you can sit there accompanied by pretty
women?” Her husband said: “ You can have thirty handsome male servants. Go
ahead and select them yourself.” In this way they joked with each other. At that time,
the deceased parents of the scholar were frequently honored by the court. Gentlemen
in the local area paid visits and showed respects to the scholar as if he were a censor.
89
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The scholar felt it a shame to assume his wife’s title, so he took comfort only in the
title of scholar. All of his life he never sat in a sedan chair with an official canopy.
The Historian of the Strange comments: “ It is rare that parents are honored for
the sake of their daughter-in-law. But when do we lack people who hold the position
of Censor but act like a woman? It is only that women who become Censor are few.
All of those who wear the scholar’s hat and claim to be a man in the world should
die of shame!”
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Attachment5
The Girl in Green
Scholar Yu was named Jing and styled Xiao-song. He was a native of Yidu1 . He
was pursuing his studies at Liquan Temple. One night he was reading aloud, when a
girl outside the window exclaimed in admiration: “Master Yu, how hard you are
working!” Then he wondered: in the remote mountains where could you find a girl?
While he was still pondering over the matter, the girl had already pushed open the
door and entered with a smile: “You are working so hard!” Yu started up and looked
at her: she was wearing green upper garment and a long skirt, and was gentle and
pretty beyond compare. He realized she was not a human being, so he insistently
asked where she lived. The girl said: “ Looking at me, you should know that I cannot
bite anybody. Why bother to keep asking?” Yu felt affection for her. Then he went to
bed with her. After she took off her silk outfit, he found her waist was so slender that
it could hardly reach the span of two hands. When the night watches were just ended,
she drifted away. Ever since then there was no night that she didn’t come. One night
they had a drink together. In their chat, she appeared to be conversant with music.
Yu said: “Your voice is soft and thin. If you sing a song, surely my soul can be
moved.” The girl said with smiles: “ I dare not sing a song then, in case your soul is
taken away.” Yu was insistent in asking her to sing. She said: “ It is not that I am not
generous. It is the dread that I may be heard by somebody else. If you definitely want
to listen to a song, then please tolerate my incompetence. But I’ll only sing in a low
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voice, just to let you know my intent.” Then she tapped time with her lotus-like feet
against the footstool. She sang the following: “ A crow on the tree, separates me
from you at midnight. I don’t complain that my embroidered shoes get wet, but only
worry that you have no mate.” Her voice, as faint as the sound of a fly, could barely
be heard. But when listened to carefully, it was sweet, smooth and full of
enthusiasm; it delighted the ear and moved the heart. After she finished her songs,
she opened the door and looked out: “Be careful that nobody is outside the window.”
Walking around the house one time, she then entered. The scholar said: “ Why do
you have so many doubts and so much dread?” Smiling, she said: “ The proverb
says: ‘The spirit who lives in secret is afraid of human beings.’ That refers to me.”
Then they went to bed. But she was not happy because of the dread. She said: “Is the
love of a lifetime to come to this and nothing more?” Yu asked her anxiously what
was the matter. The girl said: “ My heart is trembling. My life is over.” Yu tried to
comfort her: “ It is common that our hearts tremble and our eyes twitch. Why do you
speak in this way?” Slightly cheered, she made love with him again. The night was
ending again. Then the girl dressed herself and got up. She was going to push open
the bolt, when she hesitated and returned. She said: “ I don’t know why I am fearful.
I beg you to send me off.” Yu got up as requested and escorted her outside the gate.
The girl said: “ Stay and look after me till I have passed the courtyard walls and then
you can return.” Yu said: “All right.” His eyes followed the girl till she turned from
the corridor of the house and disappeared in silence. He was going back to go on
with his sleep, when he heard the cries of the girl, which were quite urgent. Yu ran
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there. Looking around he could find nothing. The sounds were from the eaves of the
house. Raising his head and looking carefully, he saw a spider as big as a pellet,
which was rolling something up that was wailing and screeching. Yu broke the
spider’s net, poked it down, rid it of the wrapping of threads and found a green wasp
on the point of death. He took it in his hand , took it back home and put it on his
writing desk. The green wasp recovered. After a long time it could move. It climbed
slowly to the inkstone, plunged itself into the ink , lay prostrate on the desk after it
came out and walked out the character of “thanks”. It shook its wings continuously,
and then flew away through the window, never to return.
1. Yidu was a county in the present-day Shandong province.
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Attachment6
Xi-hou
Scholar Man from Changhua was opening a study house at Yuhang. Once he
chanced to visit the shopping center. When he was walking by a garret overlooking
the street, he was hit on the shoulder by the shell of litchi falling. Looking up, he saw
a young prostitute leaning against the baluster. She was charming and beautiful.
Scholar Man couldn’t help gazing at her, so that he lost himself. The prostitute
looked down and saw him, and then she smiled and entered the room. He inquired
about her, and knew that she was daughter of Mrs. Jia in the brothel, whose name
was Xi-hou. She enjoyed high fame and price. Scholar Gu thought that he could not
satisfy his desire. After he returned to his studio, he thought it over, and could not go
to sleep for the whole night. The following day, he went to send his card in. When
they met with each other, they enjoyed talking and laughing with each other. Scholar
Gu got even more infatuated. He made up reasons to borrow money from his
colleagues, and thus collected some money. He brought the money to the girl, who
was warm-hearted to the utmost. Scholar Gu then recited a poem to her when they
were lying their heads on the pillow: “ The candle melts away in the copper plate but
the night isn’t over yet. When we are whispering on the bed there dominates the
fragrance of orchids and breath of musk. Tomorrow you’ll dress up with new hair
style and peony hairpin. You’ll no longer dream of your former merriness and
lover.” Knitting her brows, Xi-hou said: “ Though I am humble, I often have the
wish that I could meet with somebody who has mutual affinity with me, and I would
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marry him. Since you have no spouse yet, do you regard me as somebody who can
manage a family?” The scholar was overjoyed. Immediately he repeated the words
and made the promise of marriage. Xi-hou also felt happy and said: “ As for the
affair of reciting and writing poems, I don’t think it difficult. I often go to the place
having no people, and try to make up one. I have the worry that it is not good and
may be laughed at by others. If I can accompany you, I hope you will teach me.”
Then she asked how much land their family had. He responded: “ We have only half-
qing1 fertile land and several broken houses.” Xi-hou said: “After I marry you, we
should be always together. Don’t open your study house again. Forty- mu2 land is
enough for self-support, and the other ten can be cultivated to grow millet for making
wine. I weave five pi’s of silk, which is enough for paying the peace-tax. Closing
the door, we sit face to face with each other. You read and I weave. At our leisure,
we can enjoy drinking wine or writing poems. What is the value of high positions?”
The scholar said: “ What is the approximate sum of money for buying back your
freedom?” Xi-hou said: “If we try to satisfy the insatiable appetite of the mother,
how can we do with it? At most two hundred -liang4 gold is enough. It is a pity that I
am too young to know the importance of money. When I got money, I gave it
immediately to the mother. What I have saved is only a little sum. If you can manage
one hundred-liang gold, then the rest is not within the scope of your consideration.”
The scholar said: “ You know my difficulty and helplessness. How can I manage by
myself one hundred-liang gold? I have a sworn brother, who is county magistrate in
Hunan province. He has invited me many times to go there. It was only because of
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the distance that I didn’t go. Today for your sake I should go to consult with him. I
estimate that three or four months is enough for me to go and return. Please wait for
me patiently.” Xi-hou agreed with him.
The scholar resigned from teaching in the study house and went southward. When
he reached there, the magistrate had already been dismissed from office. Because he
was involved in law cases, he stayed temporarily in the house of a local resident. He
had no money with him, so he could not entertain the scholar. The scholar met with
difficulties and was not able to return to Yuhang. Then he began his teaching there.
Three years had passed. Still he could not go back. Once he beat a student with a
whip. The student dived into the river and commit suicide. The host felt sad for his
son’s death and he brought a lawsuit against the teacher. Therefore the scholar was
put into prison. Thanks to foods and other objects sent by other students who were
sympathized with their instructor who were innocent, he didn’t suffer a lot.
Ever since she parted with the scholar, Xi-hou closed her door and refused to
receive any guest. The mother asked her reasons, but she could not change her mind,
and then the mother left her alone. There was a rich man Jia, who admired Xi-hou
for her fame, asked somebody else to go to the mother’s house and proposed an
engagement. They would get Xi-hou at whatever price. Xi-hou didn’t agree. Jia went
to Hunan for his business. He searched for the scholar’s information as much as he
could. At that time the case of the scholar had already been ended. Jia bribed the
officers in charge with money and asked him to keep the scholar in prison for some
more time. When he returned he told the mother: “ The scholar has died in the
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prison.” Xi-hou doubted the believability of his words. The mother said: “ You don’t
have to say that Scholar Man has already died. Even though he were alive, did you
prefer to live in poverty all your life with that broken guy than live in splendid
clothes and delicate foods?” Xi-hou said: “ Though Scholar Man is poor, he is pure
in character. To live with a businessman with a foul mind is really against my will.
Besides, how can we take what are collected from the roadside as believable?” Jia
then found another businessman and asked him to make up a suicide note by Scholar
Man to stop her longings for him. After Xi-hou got the note, she cried day and night.
The mother said: “ I have brought you up from a child and cared for you much .
Within the two or three years after you grow up, what I get from you as rewards
don’t count much every day. You neither want to go on with your former job nor
want to marry anybody. How would you make your living?” Xi-hou had no way to
go. Then she married Jia. Jia bought her beautiful clothes and expensive ornaments.
More than one year later, she gave birth to a son.
Not a long time had passed. The scholar got help from his students and was
cleared of commit and released from prison. Then he got to know that it was Jia who
kept him in prison so long. But he could not think of any hatred with this man and
could not find any reason of his action. His students collected some money for him
to help him go back. Later on he heard that Xi-hou had already got married. He was
angry and sad. Then he asked an old woman selling water and wine on the street to
tell Xi-hou his sufferings. Xi-hou was extremely sad. Then she realized all the
happenings before were arranged by Jia. When Jia was not at home, she killed the
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baby in her arms and went to Scholar Man with all her former belongings. She didn’t
take any of the objects bought by Jia. When Jia returned, he forwarded a lawsuit to
the local authorities. The local authorities investigated and became clear with the
cause. Then they put the suitcase aside.
Alas! Marquis Tinghou went back to Han.6 Xi-hou’s story had no difference with
his. It was only that she killed her son before she left. She could claim to be the
crudest person in the world!
Notes:
1 .measure word in Chinese.
2.measure word in Chinese.
3.measure word in Chinese.
4.measure word in Chinese.
5.measure word in Chinese.
6.Marquis Tinghou is the official title of Guan Yu. Cao Cao admired Guan Yu very
much, while Guan Yu was serving Cao Cao’s rival, Liu Bei. In a fight, Guan Yu lost
track of Liu Bei’s army and was caught by Cao Cao. Cao Cao treated Guan Yu well
and persuaded him to serve him. Guan Yu agreed on the condition that he would
return to the Han (Liu Bei) side once Liu Bei was found. After Guan Yu found the
track of Liu Bei, he left Cao Cao, taking nothing with him.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
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Asset Metadata
Creator
Wang, Xiao
(author)
Core Title
Confrontation and compromise: The worlds of the supernatural and humans in Pu Song-Ling's "Liaozhai Zhiyi"
School
Graduate School
Degree
Master of Arts
Degree Program
East Asian Languages and Cultures
Publisher
University of Southern California
(original),
University of Southern California. Libraries
(digital)
Tag
literature, Asian,OAI-PMH Harvest
Language
English
Contributor
Digitized by ProQuest
(provenance)
Advisor
Cheung, Dominic (
committee chair
), Birge, Bettine (
committee member
), Hayden, George (
committee member
)
Permanent Link (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c16-40557
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UC11337117
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1407928.pdf (filename),usctheses-c16-40557 (legacy record id)
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Wang, Xiao
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texts
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University of Southern California
(contributing entity),
University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses
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The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the au...
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