Strange tales of Liaozhai - the No.1 book about spirits and ghosts

Strange Tales of Liaozhai is a well-known collection of short stories written by Pu Songlin (1640-1715 AD) of the Qing Dynasty. The work is called "the No.1 book about vixen spirits and ghosts". The study of the author was named "Liaozhai" (literally meaning "amake-do studio"), hence the name of the book. It is said that Pu Songlin ran a teahouse outside his home, offering tea free of charge to passers-by, from whom he gathered material for the novel in return.

Strange Tales of Liaozhai contains a total of 491 short stories, all of which are fascinating and colorful, with vivid character portrayal. A lot of the stories are about the worlds of human beings, ghosts and spirits. The most well-known stories include Xiao Qian, Xi Fangping, The Cricket and The Painted Skin etc. These stories are extremely popular and widely spread.

Through the stories of vixen spirits and ghosts, Strange Tales of Liaozhai indirectly reflects the social contradictions and people's thoughts and wishes of the 17th century China. Since the 19th century, the work has been translated into a dozen or so languages, becoming spiritual wealth shared by all people in the world. It's also been adapted into numerous movies and TV series.