Short Tales of the Ming & Qing

This is a collection of some of the most widely known short tales from the fourteenth to the nineteenth centuries. The Tale of the Phoenix Hairpin and The Tale of Cuicui by Ou You, The Wolf of Zhongshan by Ma Zhongxi, The Pearl Shirt by Song Maocheng and The Legend of the Sea-Goddess in Liao Yang by Cai Yu are representative favorites of the Ming Dynasty. However, it was in the Qing Dynasty that the true brilliance of classical Chinese tales was demonstrated with the publication of Strange Tales of Liaozhai by Pu Songling (1640-1715). The number of works produced during this period was unparalleled in previous history. This collection contains some of the best known of Pu Songling's tales and some representative works of other writers who were influenced by him. Many of these tales and the themes they contain were later adapted and enacted in dramas which subsequently became popular with people in all periods. The collection comprises ghost stories, fabulous adventures and love stories. Full of fantasy, grotesqueness and complications, they expose the pungent side of the dark society of the feudal past.
With elaborate plots and detailed, realistic descriptions, they fully demonstrate the grand creative imagination of ancient men of letters, and they are sure to provide readers with great aesthetic satisfaction.