Fluent Essays

Download and examine the project task list from the link provided in the module. Based on this task list, you will create a PERT chart and write a paper that discusses the following: 28 Madam White Is Kept Forever under Thunder Peak Tower Hill beyond green hill, tower beyond tower, When will songs and dances by West Lake ever cease ? Enchanted by the warm breezes, The sightseers take Hangzhou for Bianzhou.1 Our story takes place by beautiful West Lake amid green hills and clear waters.In the Xianhe reign period [326–34] during the Jin dynasty, when a raging mountain flood swept past West Gate, an ox was suddenly seen in the water, glit- tering all over with the color of gold. The ox then followed the receding flood all the way to North Hill, where it became lost to view, destination unknown. The event caused quite a stir throughout the city of Hangzhou, for the residents believed that the ox was an apparition of some deity. Thus, a temple was built and named Jinniu [Golden Ox] Temple. At West Gate, now called Yongjin [Golden Flood] Gate, a temple dedicated to General Jinhua [Golden Splendor] still stands. At the time, a foreign monk with the Buddhist name Hunshouluo commented when viewing the hills of Wulin County on one of his wandering journeys: “A little peak in front of Spirit Vulture Hill [Grdhrakuta] has suddenly disappeared. So, here’s where it has flown to.” Reacting to the disbelief these words generated among his audience, he continued, “As far as I remember, that little peak is called Spirit Vulture Peak. It has a cave in which lives a white ape. Let me try to call the ape out by way of proof.” And indeed, a white ape emerged in response to his calls. At the foot of the hill was a pavilion, now called Cold Fountain Pavilion. In the middle of West Lake stands a solitary hill. When the poet Lin Hejing2 was liv- ing as a hermit on that hill, he had stones and earth carried over and a walkway built between Broken Bridge to the east and Sunset Peak to the west. The walk- way thus came to be called Solitary Hill Road. During the Tang dynasty, Prefect Bai Juyi3 also had a causeway built, reaching from Green Screen Hills to the south and Sunset Peak to the north, and it came to be called the Bai Causeway. The two roads were often damaged by mountain floods, and money had to be withdrawn 4 7 4 Feng, Menglong. <i>Stories to Caution the World : A Ming Dynasty Collection</i>, University of Washington Press, 2005. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uwinnipeg/detail.action?docID=3444372. Created from uwinnipeg on 2019-11-17 20:16:40. C op yr ig ht © 2 00 5. U ni ve rs ity o f W as hi ng to n P re ss . A ll rig ht s re se rv ed . from government coªers each time to pay for repairs. Then, during the Song dynasty, Su Dongpo,4 who was prefect of Hangzhou, bought timber and stones, hired labor- ers, and had the two water-damaged roads repaired and reinforced. Railings on the six bridges were painted vermilion and peach, and willow trees were planted all along the causeway. In the balmy days of spring, the scenery is most picturesque. Later, it came to be known as the Su Causeway. Two stone bridges were built by Solitary Hill Road to part the flow of the water. The one to the east is called Broken Bridge and the one to the west Xiling Bridge. Truly, Three hundred temples half hidden in the hills; Two tall peaks locked in faint, fluªy clouds. But, storyteller, you may well object, why talk only about the scenery of West Lake, men of immortal fame, and sites of historic interest? Well, let me now launch into the story proper and tell of a dashing young man who, because of his encounter with two women while touring West Lake, caused quite a sensation throughout the romance-filled streets of the region’s cities and towns, providing material for a love story from the writer’s pen. Now what was the young man’s name? What man- ner of women did he encounter? What did he do to cause a sensation? There is a poem in testimony: In the dismal rain of the Qingming season,5 The wayfarer on the road is stricken with grief. “Where, pray, might I find a wineshop?” The herdboy points to Apricot Village afar. The story goes that in the Shaoxing reign period [1 132–62], after Emperor Gaozong of Song moved to the south, there lived, in Black Pearl Lane by the Reward the Troops Bridge in Lin’an Prefecture, Hangzhou, a certain Li Ren. He served as a petty o‹cial in the treasury of the Southern Song court while doubling as bur- sar for a Marshal Shao. His wife had a younger brother, Xu Xuan, who was the old- est son of the family. Xu’s father used to own an herbal medicine store, but both parents had died when Xu Xuan was still a boy. Now twenty-two years old, Xu Xuan worked as an assistant in an herb store owned by a distant uncle, Squire Li. The store was situated at the corner of O‹cials Street. One day, Xu Xuan was attending to his business in the store when a monk appeared at the door and said after a greeting, “This poor monk is from Baoshu Pagoda Monastery. I sent some steamed buns and twisted rolls to your house the other day. Now that the Clear and Bright Festival is drawing near, I hope that you, Master Xiaoyi [Oldest Son], will come to our monastery to oªer incense in mem- ory of your ancestors. Please do remember to come.” “I’ll surely be there,” promised Xu Xuan. The monk took his leave. In the evening, Xu Xuan returned to his brother-in-law’s house. Being a bach- elor, he lived with his older sister’s family. That evening, he told his sister, “A monk m a d a m w h i t e i s k e p t f o r e v e r u n d e r t h u n d e r p e a k t o w e r 4 7 5 Feng, Menglong. <i>Stories to Caution the World : A Ming Dynasty Collection</i>, University of Washington Press, 2005. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uwinnipeg/detail.action?docID=3444372. Created from uwinnipeg on 2019-11-17 20:16:40. C op yr ig ht © 2 00 5. U ni ve rs ity o f W as hi ng to n P re ss . A ll rig ht s re se rv ed . from Baoshu Monastery came today and asked me to go and burn sacrificial straw baskets.6 So I’ll make the trip tomorrow to honor our ancestors.” He rose bright and early the next morning and bought some paper horses, can- dles, sutra streamers, and strings of paper coins. Afterwards he ate breakfast, changed into new clothes, socks, and shoes, wrapped the baskets and oªerings in a piece of cloth, and went to Squire Li’s house on O‹cials Street. When Squire Li asked where he was oª to, Xu Xuan replied, “I’m going to Baoshu Pagoda to oªer incense in memory of my ancestors. Please give me a day’s leave, Uncle.” “All right, but come back as soon as possible.” Xu Xuan left the store. He took Peaceful Longevity Lane and Flower Market Street, crossed Well Pavilion Bridge, went through Qiantang Gate behind Clear River Street, crossed Stone Box Bridge, and passed the Monument to the Release of Captured Living Creatures. Once he arrived at the monastery, he sought out the monk who had brought him steamed buns and made his confession. He then burned the baskets contain- ing the paper oªerings and went up to the main hall to watch the monks recite the scriptures. After a vegetarian meal, he bade the monk good-bye and left to take a leisurely walk around. He crossed West Peace Bridge and Solitary Hill Road and went to the Temple of the Four Sages, meaning to continue on to Lin Hejing’s grave and Six Ones Spring. But all of a sudden, clouds gathered in the northwestern sky, and a fog closed in from the southeast. The drizzle that followed soon grew into a steady rain. As it happened to be around the Clear and Bright Festival, the Lord of Heaven, in obser- vance of the laws of nature, lent a determined insistence to the rain so as to speed the growth of flowers. Seeing that the ground outside was wet, Xu Xuan took oª his new socks and shoes and stepped out of the temple to look for a boat. There being none in sight, he wasn’t sure what to do, when suddenly, he was overjoyed to see an old man rowing a boat in his direction. A closer look revealed the boatman to be Grandpa Zhang. “Grandpa Zhang,” cried Xu Xuan, “please take me on board!” At the cry, the old man looked around and saw that it was Master Xiaoyi. Rowing his boat toward the shore, he said, “Master Xiaoyi, so you’re caught in the rain! How far do you want me to take you?” “I’ll get oª at Golden Flood Gate.” The old man helped him into the boat and rowed away from the bank toward Harvest Joy Tower. Before they had gone more than a hundred feet, they heard a cry from the shore, “Grandpa, would you give us a ride, please?” Xu Xuan turned to look and saw a woman wearing a white silk blouse, a fine flaxen skirt, and white hairpins in her jet-black hair, which was arranged in a chignon covered in mourning white. By her side stood her maid, dressed all in green. Her hair was fastened in two knots, each tied with a bright red string and adorned with a piece of jewelry. She was carrying a package in her hand. Both appeared eager to get on the boat. s t o r y 2 8 4 7 6 Feng, Menglong. <i>Stories to Caution the World : A Ming Dynasty Collection</i>, University of Washington Press, 2005. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uwinnipeg/detail.action?docID=3444372. Created from uwinnipeg on 2019-11-17 20:16:40. C op yr ig ht © 2 00 5. U ni ve rs ity o f W as hi ng to n P re ss . A ll rig ht s re se rv ed . Old Man Zhang remarked to Xu Xuan, “As the saying goes, ‘When there’s a wind blowing, you need do nothing to keep the fire going.’ Since we don’t have to do anything extra, why don’t we take them on board?” “Have them come down, then,” said Xu Xuan. (The beginning of all the trou- bles to come.) So the old man drew the boat up to the shore, and the woman and her maid stepped on board. At the sight of Xu Xuan, the woman flashed a smile, revealing dainty white teeth between red lips, and dropped a curtsy. Xu Xuan rose with alacrity and returned the greeting. After the woman and the maid were seated in the cabin, the woman kept casting significant glances at Xu Xuan, who found his desires stir- ring, despite his prudishness, at the sight of such an enchanting beauty accompa- nied by the flower of a maid. (It so happens that prudish ones tend to be the easiest to catch.) “May I ask your name, sir?” said the woman. “I am Xu Xuan, the oldest son in the family.” “Where do you live?” “I live in Black Pearl Lane by Reward the Troops Bridge and work in an herbal medicine store.” Now that the woman had asked her questions, Xu Xuan thought it was his turn. Rising from his seat, he inquired, “May I ask your name, madam? And where do you live?” “I am the younger sister of O‹cer White [Bai] of the imperial guards. My hus- band, Zhang, has unfortunately passed away and is buried here on Thunder Peak. The Clear and Bright Festival being near, I took my maid to sweep his grave and make some oªerings today. We were on our way back when we got caught in the rain. If you hadn’t taken us in, we would have been in quite a sorry state.” After they had chatted for a while, the boat approached the shore. The woman said, “I left home in such haste that I didn’t bring enough travel money. Could you please lend me some money so that I may pay the boatman? I’ll surely pay you back.” ( An excuse for continuing the association.) “As you wish, madam, but don’t worry about such a trivial amount,” Xu Xuan assured her. After the boatman was paid, the rain came down even harder. As Xu Xuan helped her go ashore, the woman said, “My house is at the entrance to Double Tea Lane by Arrow Bridge. If it’s not beneath you, please follow me to my humble home for tea, so that I can repay the money.” “Oh, don’t worry about such a trifle. It’s getting late now. I’ll come for a visit another time,” said Xu Xuan. And so, the woman and her maid took leave of him. Xu Xuan then went through Golden Flood Gate and wended his way under the eaves of the houses to Three Bridges Street, where Squire Li’s brother’s herb store was located. Xu Xuan walked up and saw the younger Squire Li at the door. “Brother Xiaoyi,” said Li, “where are you going at this late hour?” m a d a m w h i t e i s k e p t f o r e v e r u n d e r t h u n d e r p e a k t o w e r 4 7 7 Feng, Menglong. <i>Stories to Caution the World : A Ming Dynasty Collection</i>, University of Washington Press, 2005. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uwinnipeg/detail.action?docID=3444372. Created from uwinnipeg on 2019-11-17 20:16:40. C op yr ig ht © 2 00 5. U ni ve rs ity o f W as hi ng to n P re ss . A ll rig ht s re se rv ed . “I went to Baoshu Pagoda on an incense-oªering trip and got caught in the rain. Could you lend me an umbrella? “Old Chen!” cried out Li. “Get Master Xiaoyi an umbrella !” Soon, Old Chen emerged with an umbrella. Opening it, he said, “Master Xiaoyi, this umbrella is the work of Honest Shu by Character Eight Bridge on Clear Lake, and a fine umbrella it is, with its eighty-four ribs and purple bamboo handle. It’s not torn anywhere, either. So don’t ruin it! Be sure to take good care of it!” (Remarks quite unexpected. A comic touch.) “Of course, don’t worry,” said Xu Xuan as he took the umbrella. After some words of thanks to Squire Li, he left, heading in the direction of Sheep Dike. As he approached Rear Market Street, he heard someone call, “Master Xiaoyi!” Turning to look, he saw a woman standing under the eaves of the small teahouse at the entrance to Shen’s Well Street, the very Madam White who had been his companion on the boat. “Why are you here, madam?” “With the rain pouring like that, my shoes became wet, so I had Little Green go home to fetch an umbrella and my galoshes. Now that it’s getting dark, may I share your umbrella for part of the way?” So they walked as far as the dike, sharing one umbrella. “Now where do you want to go, madam?” “To Arrow Bridge after crossing that bridge.” “Well, I’m heading for Reward the Troops Bridge, which is quite close by. You might just as well take the umbrella. I’ll come to get it tomorrow.” (Volunteering to continue the relationship and inviting trouble. There’s no one more tender, aªection- ate, and [illegible] than Madam White.) “You’re too kind. Thank you so much,” said Madam White. Keeping under the eaves, Xu Xuan walked on in the rain. Upon arriving, he ran into Wang An, his brother-in-law’s servant, who had just returned after look- ing vainly for him to deliver his galoshes and umbrella. Xu Xuan ate supper at home and spent a wakeful night, tossing and turning, thinking about the woman. When he finally fell asleep, the events of the day reap- peared in a dream, stirring up amorous passion. At the rooster’s crow, he woke up and realized that it had all been but a dream. Truly, His heart as wild as a fast-running ape or horse, His amorous desires kept him awake till dawn. When it grew light at last, he rose, washed, did his hair, ate breakfast, and went to the store. With his mind in a fluster, he could hardly concentrate on his job. In the early afternoon, he thought to himself, “How am I going to get the umbrella back and return it without having to tell a lie?” Addressing the older Squire Li, who was sitting by the counter, he said, “My brother-in-law wants me to go home earlier than usual today to deliver a present for him. May I take the rest of the after- noon oª ?” s t o r y 2 8 4 7 8 Feng, Menglong. <i>Stories to Caution the World : A Ming Dynasty Collection</i>, University of Washington Press, 2005. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uwinnipeg/detail.action?docID=3444372. Created from uwinnipeg on 2019-11-17 20:16:40. C op yr ig ht © 2 00 5. U ni ve rs ity o f W as hi ng to n P re ss . A ll rig ht s re se rv ed . “All right, go ahead. Come in earlier tomorrow!” After chanting his good-bye, Xu Xuan headed straight for Double Tea Lane by Arrow Bridge and asked for directions to Madam White’s house, but no one knew where it was. He was wondering what to do when Little Green, Madam White’s maid, appeared, coming from an easterly direction. “Sister !” exclaimed Xu Xuan. “Where exactly do you live? I’ve come to get my umbrella.” “Follow me, sir.” And so he did. A few moments later, she announced, “Here we are !” He saw that the house was two-storied with a double door flanked by four long, latticed windows, two to a side. A finely woven vermilion curtain hung in the mid- dle of the door. The main hall was lined with twelve black lacquer armchairs and decorated with four landscape paintings by famous artists of olden times. Opposite the house stood the mansion of Prince Xiu, father of Emperor Xiaozong of Song. Disappearing behind the curtain, the maid said, “Please come in and take a seat, sir !” Xu Xuan followed her to the inner section of the house. Little Green then whis- pered, “Ma’am, Master Xiaoyi is here !” “Invite him in for tea,” said Madam White from inside. Xu Xuan had not made up his mind what to do, but Little Green kept urging him to go in, and so he did. There came into view four veiled latticed windows. When the blue cotton portiere was raised, he saw a small parlor with a table on which stood a pot of bearded calamus. Two paintings of beautiful women hung on either side, and on the central wall was a picture of a deity. On another table was a bronze vase in the shape of an incense burner. Madam White stepped forward and said with a deep bow, “I’m much indebted to you, Master Xiaoyi, for having taken such good care of us upon our first encounter yesterday. How can I ever thank you enough?” “Oh, it’s hardly worth mentioning.” “Please sit and have some tea,” said Madam White. After they finished the tea, she continued, “Let me serve you some wine as a token of my gratitude.” Before Xu Xuan could decline the oªer, Little Green had laid out a fine spread of vegetables and fruits. “I thank you, madam, for your hospitality, but I really shouldn’t be imposing on you like this.” After drinking a few cups of wine, he rose and said, “It’s getting late. As I have quite a long way to go, I beg to take leave of you now.” “A relative of mine borrowed your umbrella from me last night,” said Madam White. “Please have a few more cups while I try to have it sent back.” “It’s getting late. I really must be going.” “Just one more cup!” “But I’ve had enough. I’m much obliged!” “If you insist on leaving now, please be good enough to come back tomorrow m a d a m w h i t e i s k e p t f o r e v e r u n d e r t h u n d e r p e a k t o w e r 4 7 9 Feng, Menglong. <i>Stories to Caution the World : A Ming Dynasty Collection</i>, University of Washington Press, 2005. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uwinnipeg/detail.action?docID=3444372. Created from uwinnipeg on 2019-11-17 20:16:40. C op yr ig ht © 2 00 5. U ni ve rs ity o f W as hi ng to n P re ss . A ll rig ht s re se rv ed . for the umbrella.” (Trying again to continue the relationship. Another twist in the plot.) There was nothing Xu Xuan could do but take leave of her and return home. The next day, after working in the store for a little while, he got away again on some excuse and went to Madam White’s house to reclaim his umbrella. Again, she kept him for wine. “Please give me back my umbrella,” said Xu Xuan. “I don’t want to impose on you like this.” “But since the wine is ready, please take just one little cup,” the woman insisted. Xu Xuan felt he had no choice but to sit down. Madam White filled a cup, handed it to Xu Xuan, and said, her cherry-red lips moving, her pearly teeth glistening, her voice sweet and coquettish, her face radiant with joy, “My respects to you, sir. As they say, ‘To an honest person, be honest.’ The fact is, my husband has died. Judging from your kindness to me the first time we met, I believe that I must have a predestined marriage bond with you and that the feeling is mutual. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could find a matchmaker and we two who are made for each other can join in blissful marriage?” These words set Xu Xuan to thinking. “That would indeed be a good match. To have such a wife wouldn’t be a bad deal at all. I am more than willing, but there’s one matter to consider. Working during the day for Squire Li and lodging at night at my brother-in-law’s house, I have saved a little money, but it’s just enough for my own clothes. How can I aªord to have a family?” As he sat there, pensively silent, Madam White asked, “Why don’t you answer me?” “I’m very honored, but the fact of the matter is, I don’t have the means to com- ply with your wish.” “That problem is easily solved,” replied Madam White. “I have money to spare. You needn’t worry on that score.” To Little Green, she said, “Go up and get an ingot of silver for me.” Holding on to the railing, Little Green went up and down the stairs and handed a package to Madam White. “Master Xiaoyi,” said the woman, “Take this. When in need, come here again for more.” So saying, she gave the package to Xu Xuan with her own hands. Xu Xuan opened the package and saw inside fifty taels of snow- white silver. He put it in his sleeve and rose to go. Little Green returned his umbrella to him. Umbrella in hand, Xu Xuan took his leave, went straight home, and hid the silver. The night passed without further ado. In the morning, he rose and went to O‹cials Street to return the umbrella to Squire Li. With some loose pieces of silver, he bought a fat and juicy roast goose, fresh fish, lean meat, a young chicken, fruit, and a jar of wine and carried them home. He gave everything to the housekeeper and the maids for them to take care of. His brother-in-law, O‹cer Li, happened to be at home that day, and Xu Xuan invited him and his sister to sit down around the dinner table with the fine spread s t o r y 2 8 4 8 0 Feng, Menglong. <i>Stories to Caution the World : A Ming Dynasty Collection</i>, University of Washington Press, 2005. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uwinnipeg/detail.action?docID=3444372. Created from uwinnipeg on 2019-11-17 20:16:40. C op yr ig ht © 2 00 5. U ni ve rs ity o f W as hi ng to n P re ss . A ll rig ht s re se rv ed . on it. Much taken aback at the invitation, O‹cer Li said to himself, “Why is he going to so much expense today? I’ve never seen him with a wine cup. Something’s wrong here !” The three sat down in order of seniority. After a few rounds of wine, O‹cer Li said, “My honored brother-in-law, why are you going to so much expense when there’s nothing special happening?” “I’m much obliged to you, Brother-in-law, but please don’t make fun of me. This is really not worth mentioning. I am very grateful to you and Sister for tak- ing care of me all these years. But, as they say, one guest should not impose him- self on two hosts. I’m a grown man now and should make sure I’ll have support in my old age. I’ve had a marriage oªer. Could you, my brother-in-law and sister, please make the necessary arrangements on my behalf so that I can settle down once and for all?” At these words, his brother-in-law and sister thought to themselves, “This is a man who hardly ever parts with a penny. And now, with what little he has spent, he expects us to get a wife for him?” Exchanging glances, the husband and wife refrained from answering. After the meal was over, Xu Xuan went back to work. A couple of days later, Xu Xuan wondered, “Why does Sister still keep silent about the matter?” He asked his sister, “Have you consulted Brother-in-law-about what I said the other day?” “No.” “Why not?” “Well, unlike other things, this isn’t something that should be done in a rush. Also, your brother-in-law’s been looking worried the last couple of days, so I haven’t dared ask him, so as to avoid adding another burden to his mind.” “Sister, why are you dragging your feet? What’s so di‹cult about it? You’re ignor- ing me only because you’re afraid I’ll be making a demand on my brother-in-law’s pocket!” With that, he rose, went to his bedroom, opened his trunk, and took out Madam White’s silver. Handing the ingot to his sister, he said, “Now, no more excuses. I need Brother-in-law to make the arrangements for me.” “So, you’ve saved up quite a tidy sum all these years while working for Uncle ! No wonder you are talking about getting married! You go along now and leave the money here with me.” When O‹cer Li returned, Xu Xuan’s sister told him, “Husband, you know why my brother is talking about marrying? The fact is, he has saved up quite a tidy sum for himself and has oªered some to me. It looks like we’ll have to take care of this matchmaking business.” “So that’s what it is !” exclaimed O‹cer Li. “Well, it’s a good thing he has some private savings. Show me the money.” Promptly, his wife handed the silver to him. He turned the ingot over and over in his hand, examining the characters engraved on it. “We’re in trouble !” he burst out in alarm. “This means death for the whole family !” m a d a m w h i t e i s k e p t f o r e v e r u n d e r t h u n d e r p e a k t o w e r 4 8 1 Feng, Menglong. <i>Stories to Caution the World : A Ming Dynasty Collection</i>, University of Washington Press, 2005. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uwinnipeg/detail.action?docID=3444372. Created from uwinnipeg on 2019-11-17 20:16:40. C op yr ig ht © 2 00 5. U ni ve rs ity o f W as hi ng to n P re ss . A ll rig ht s re se rv ed . Seized with fear, his wife asked, “What can be so terrible?” “A few days ago, fifty large ingots of silver disappeared from Marshal Shao’s trea- sury. The seal and lock on the door are intact, and there is no underground tunnel that leads to it. And now, Lin’an Prefecture has been given the urgent task of hunt- ing down the thief, but there’s no clue whatsoever. Goodness knows how many people have been implicated! Bulletins have been posted, complete with the serial num- bers of the missing ingots. The bulletin says, ‘Whoever captures the thief and finds the silver shall receive a reward of fifty taels. Anyone who withholds information or gives shelter to the thief shall be duly punished, and all members of his family shall be banished to remote regions.’ Now, the serial number on this ingot is exactly the same as the one in the bulletin, which means that the silver comes from Marshal Shao’s treasury, and there’s a big hue and cry after it! Indeed, ‘In a spreading fire, you can’t aªord to take care of all your relatives.’ If this theft is discovered, I won’t be able to talk my way out of trouble. I don’t care whether he stole it or borrowed it, but it’s far better to have him punished than to be implicated myself. I’ll have to take the silver to the authorities, so as to protect my family.” His wife was so stunned at these words that her jaw dropped and she stared at him, her eyes unblinking. And so, oª he went to the prefectural yamen to surrender the ingot of silver. His report deprived the prefect of a whole night’s sleep. The next day, He Li, the arrest o‹cer, was summoned posthaste. Taking a few assistants and a team of lictors keen of eye and swift of movement, O‹cer He Li went straight to Squire Li’s store on O‹cials Street to apprehend the thief Xu Xuan. At the store counter, the men gave a shout and bound Xu Xuan with rope. Beating a drum and a gong along the way, they took … EALC 2740: The Supernatural in East Asian Cultures Final Essay Topics The final essay will constitute 40% of your grade for the course, split between two assignments. • November 25, 2019—Proposal and Annotated Bibliography—15% • December 13, 2019—Final Essay—25% Your proposal should be one and a half to two pages, double-spaced, 12pt Times New Roman font, one-inch margins. The proposal should summarize the direction and content of your argument. You may hold back your final conclusions, but you should have carefully considered the directions your argument might take based on a careful consideration of the evidence you have gathered. Be sure that your proposal does not simply repeat or introduce the topic. Delineate what examples you intend to use, and where. Try also to show the progression of your argument. The annotated bibliography should be a list of references that includes an explanation of how each source figures into your essay. Your argument should be based on internal evidence from within the primary sources you choose to interpret (the films, stories and plays). Contextualizing your argument within the historical background with secondary sources gives it weight, but be sure to use secondary sources in support of your own argument, not in lieu of your own argument. The topics below are meant to guide your initial inquiry. You will need to develop an argument within the topic. I suggest that you begin by choosing the texts you would like to analyze, and then choosing what sorts of questions you would like to ask of those texts. I advise against using less than two, or more than four primary texts. Make sure that your argument is focused enough to be provable within the space allotted. 1. Self-regulation: Analyze the ethic of self-discipline as prescribed in depictions of encounters between humans and supernatural beings. How does the story, through its structure and/or content, advise audiences against indulgence? How does the story simultaneously allow audiences to indulge in transgression through identification with primary characters? How does the structure of the story exemplify the discipline being prescribed in the story’s content? How is the prescription for self-regulation different across gender, age and social status? 2. Gender roles: Discuss representations of masculinity and femininity in one or more of the stories. You may choose to compare an original pre-modern text with a film adaptation, or to compare characters across a couple of stories. Whichever texts you choose, consider the intersection of supernatural beings and gender representation. For instance, what does the trope of the spirit enchantress say about gender relations? If you are considering a film adaptation— how does the modern version depict pre-modern gender roles? 3. Adaptation: Choose one of the literary text and film pairs. Consider one or more of the following questions in constructing your argument. How does the film version depict the past? Is the past meant to be an unfamiliar place where ordinary rules do not apply? Is the past depicted as being backward socially or culturally? How are gender relations depicted between the original and film adaptation? How does the medium of representation affect the story’s messages? If you are taking audience reception into account when analyzing the film, include information on ticket sales and distribution. Do not present a comparison of a story and film pair. Instead, focus in on a specific theme or character as the point of departure for your comparison. 4. Cross-Cultural Comparison: Use caution when considering this topic. It can easily lead into the pitfall of sweeping generalizations about national cultures that lack in-depth analysis and textual support. Remember that without doing extensive research, you cannot draw any conclusions about the cultures that produced the literature we have read. Instead, you may compare the representations of supernatural beings (fox spirits, snake spirits) within our course readings to analyze what similarities and differences in their portrayal and interactions with humans says about their intended audiences. STRANGE STORIES FROM A CHINESE STUDIO by Pu Sung- ling Translated by Herbert Giles 3rd edition, 1916 Scanned by Todd Compton The Demons of Blackwater River Carry Away the Master Art from E.T. C. Werner, Myths and Legends of China The Flying Umbrellas Preface by Todd Compton Introduction by Hebert Giles Section 1: Stories 1-25 Section 2: Stories 26-57 Section 3: Stories 58-103 Section 4: Stories 104-164 and Appendices Scanner’s Preface Following is a web-publication of the 3rd edition of Herbert Giles’ translation of P’u Sung-ling’s Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, published in 1916. I read ghost stories in the Halloween season every year, and last year decided I would read P’u Sung-ling’s Strange Stories, and then, since it wasn’t available on the web (as far as I could see), thought I would scan it as I read it, and put it on my website. I include Giles’ notes, introduction and appendices. The notes for each story are found after the story. No scan is ever perfect, so if readers catch typos, please contact me at toddmagos [at] yahoo [dot] com. I have tried to follow Giles’ text exactly, including diacritical marks. In proper names, the apostrophe sometimes is ‘ and sometimes ’. Since accent marks in Giles’ transliteration system always refer to the letter before, it actually makes no difference whether the apostrophe is “forward” or “backward”-looking. (In Giles’ text, the apostrophe is always ‘.) My editing is minimal. However, Giles uses very big paragraphs, and I thought the book would be more readable if these were broken up into smaller paragraphs. Very occasionally, I add a footnote, for which I use capital letters (e.g., [A], [B]), to distinguish it from Giles’ footnotes. Giles was a great sinologist, but published the first edition of Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio in 1880, during the Victorian era.1[1] Thus, he left out many stories that were erotic or which were viewed as offensive, and he excised erotic or offensive passages from the stories he did translate. Two fine modern translations of P’u Sung- Ling will give the reader a much more “complete” view of P’u: Denis C. & Victor H. Mair’s Strange Tales from Make-do Studio (Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, 1989) and John Minford’s Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (Penguin Classics 2006).2[2] For examples of passages excised from stories, see “The Painted Wall” and “The Painted Skin” below, in which I have included some of the excised passages, as translated by the Mairs and Minford, in footnotes. Nevertheless, Giles, for all his Victorian reserve, is a great translator, and his notes are superb, offering us an erudite, sometimes practical (as Giles lived for many years in China), and always fascinating introduction to Chinese culture, literature, philosophy, folklore and history. Of course, the translator’s notes are secondary to the Strange Stories themselves. These stories are almost all fantastic, but nevertheless offer a panoramic and almost realistic view of Chinese culture, from government hierarchy to the examination 1[1] Incidentally, this early edition is available at http://www.archive.org/details/strangestoriesfr00pusuuoft. 2[2] See also Pu Sung-ling, Strange Tales from the Liaozhai Studio, 3 vols. (Beijing: People’s China Publishing House, 1997), which includes 194 tales. system to religion and ceremonial actions to favorite methods of relaxation (drinking bouts through the night, often with supernatural visitants, are common) to typical patterns of family life. For example, P’u offers considerable insight into the marriage customs of China. As readers of my website will know, I have written about nineteenth-century Mormon polygamy. Polygamy was widespread in China, and P’u Sung-ling’s Strange Stories often give penetrating insight into what this marriage system was like. In story LXI., “The Husband Punished,” a man named Ching has a liaison with a mysterious beautiful young woman, A-hsia. At one point, she demands marriage, and Ching is agreeable to the idea, but thinks that his first wife will be a problem: Then Ching began to reflect that if he married her [A-hsia] she would have to take her place in the family, and that would make his first wife jealous; so he determined to get rid of the latter, and when she came in he began to abuse her right and left. His wife bore it as long as she could, but at length cried out it were better she should die; upon which Ching advised her not to bring trouble on them all like that, but to go back to her own home. He then drove her away, his wife asking all the time what she had done to be sent away like this after ten years of blameless life with him. Ching, however, paid no heed to her entreaties, and when he had got rid of her he set to work at once to get the house whitewashed and made generally clean, himself being on the tip-toe of expectation for the arrival of Miss A-hsia. Ching expects problems, serious tensions between the wives, in polygamy, so gets rid of the first wife. Concubines were an established part of the Chinese marriage system. In a note to story LVI, “Dr. Tsêng’s Dream,” Giles writes, “It is not considered quite correct to take a concubine unless the wife is childless, in which case it is held that the proposition to do so, and thus secure the much-desired posterity, should emanate from the wife herself.” However, the concubine lacked the status and legal safeguards of a full wife. In “Dr. Tsêng’s Dream,” the male protagonist has been reborn as a female (and the narrator continues to call him “he” even though he had become a “she”!): At fourteen years of age he was sold to a gentleman as concubine; and then, though food and clothes were not wanting, he had to put up with the scoldings and floggings of the wife, who one day burnt him with a hot iron. Later, the wife falsely accuses him/her of murder, and he/she is tortured to death. Story XLI., “Ta-Nan In Search Of His Father,” begins with these sentences: HSI CH‘ANG-LIEH was a Ch‘êng-tu man. He had a wife and a concubine, the latter named Ho Chao-jung. His wife dying, he took a second by name Shên, who bullied the concubine dreadfully, and by her constant wrangling made his life perfectly unbearable, so that one day in a fit of anger he ran away and left them. Shortly afterwards Ho gave birth to a son, and called him Ta-nan; but as Hsi did not return, the wife Shên turned them out of the house, making them a daily allowance of food. Clearly, in medieval China, the concubine was often treated badly by the full wife or wives. There is a happy polygamous family in story LXVI, “The Tipsy Turtle.” Fêng, the hero, is thrown in jail by a Prince Su and is released because one of Su’s daughters has fallen in love with him. In a western fairy tale, he might now marry the Princess, end of story; but in this Chinese fairy tale, there is a complication: he is already married, and he refuses to become a polygamist out of consideration for the first wife: Fêng was accordingly liberated, and was also informed of the determination of the Princess, which, however, he declined to fall in with, saying that he was not going thus to sacrifice the wife of his days of poverty, and would rather die than carry out such an order. He added that if His Highness would consent, he would purchase his liberty at the price of everything he had. So Fêng must be arrested once again, and one of the palace concubines prepares to murder the first wife: The Prince was exceedingly angry at this, and seized Fêng again; and meanwhile one of the concubines got Fêng’s wife into the palace, intending to poison her. Fêng’s wife, however, brought her a beautiful present of a coral stand for a looking- glass, and was so agreeable in her conversation, that the concubine took a great fancy to her, and presented her to the Princess, who was equally pleased, and forthwith determined that they would both be Fêng’s wives. Giles notes that this kind of happy resolution often occurs in Chinese fiction, but rarely in real life. For another perspective on Chinese polygamy, see Zhang Yimou’s 1991 film Raise the Red Lantern, which is based on the novel Wives and Concubines (1990) by Su Tong. This provides a profoundly bleak view of relations between wives in plural marriage. But the Strange Stories are above all a wild phantasmagoria of ghosts, were-foxes, were-tigers (even one were-turtle), demons, sorcerors (often, in P’u, Taoist priests), psychic transmigrations, and journeys into the underworld and other levels of reality (as in the famous “Painted Wall”). These kinds of stories were very popular in China, and had been so for centuries, perhaps millennia.3[3] The literary tradition goes back to the early A.D. centuries, but the popular tradition probably goes back much earlier. 3[3] See Anthony C. Yu, “‘Rest, Rest, Perturbed Spirit!’ Ghosts in Traditional Chinese Prose Fiction,” Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies 47, No. 2 (Dec. 1987): 397-434; Michael Loewe, Chinese Ideas of Life and Death: Faith, Myth and Reason P’u Sung-ling’s tales are the culmination of this tradition of supernatural and strange tales. P’u’s “strange stories from a leisure studio” are told beautifully, with great concision and elegance. The heroes and heroines spring to life in just a few paragraphs. The Western reader will be continually surprised both by fantastic turns of plot and by unexpected elements of Chinese culture that often serve as the basis for the development of the fantastic situation. The heroes of the Western tradition of fantasy are often kings or warriors (or adventurous peasants or hobbits). But many of the heroes of P’u Sung-ling’s tales are scholars down on their luck, who have not risen to prestige through the examination system, often because the system is corrupt. (For example, see story XCII. “Smelling Essays.”) It is refreshing to see scholars who can cap a verse in a drinking bout or write a brilliant essay at the drop of a hat as dashing protagonists. As something of a scholar down on my luck myself (entirely due to the failings of our present academic system, of course), I am very fond of these scholars who are driven to tutoring or fortune-telling to survive financially. The reader of Western ghost stories will find many ghosts and (were)foxes and malevolent supernatural beings in these tales; but he or she will undoubtedly be surprised at how often P’u combined the ghost story with romance (an ancient Chinese theme). Our scholar heroes often marry the beautiful revenants who visit them as they are trying to study (Chinese ghosts are usually quite corporeal, not see- through wraiths at all). And these ghost-brides often make good wives, who work hard and are dutiful daughters-in-law to their husbands’ mothers. They also bear fine children. Hopefully, this scan of the Strange Tales will help introduce readers to the endlessly entertaining and enlightening world of P’u Sung-ling.4[4] in the Han Period (202 B.C.-A.D. 220) (London: George Allen and Unwin, 1982); Karl S.Y. Kao, ed. Classical Chinese Tales of the Supernatural and the Fantastic: Selections form the Third to the Tenth Century (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1985); Y.W. Ma and Joseph S. M. Lau, Traditional Chinese Stores: Themes and Variations (Boston: Cheng & Tsui Co., 1986); Alvin P. Cohen, Tales of Vengeful Souls: A Sixth Century Collection of Chinese Avenging Ghost Stories (Taipei-Paris- Hongkong: Institut Ricci, 1982); and Kenneth J. DeWoskin and J.I. Crump, Jr., In Search of the Supernatural: The Written Record (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1996), a translation of a book written by Kan Pao in approximately 335-345 A.D. 4[4] For further on P’u Sung-ling, see Chun-shu Chang and Shelley Hsueh-lun Chang, Redefining History: Ghosts, Spirits, and Human Society in P’u Sung-ling’s World, 1640-1715 (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1998); Judith T. Zeitlin, Historian of the Strange: Pu Songling and the Chinese Classical Tale (Palo Alto: Stanford University Press, 1997); H. C. Chang, tr., Tales of the Supernatural, 3rd volume in the series Chinese Literature (New York: Columbia University Press, 1984), which has a valuable introduction. INTRODUCTION by Herbert Giles [p. xi] THE barest skeleton of a biography is all that can be formed front the very scanty materials which remain to mark the career of a writer whose work has been for the best part of two centuries as familiar throughout the length and breadth of China as are the tales of the “Arabian Nights” in all English-speaking communities. The author of “Strange Stories” was a native of Tzŭ-ch’uan, in the province of Shantung. His family name was P’u; his particular name was Sung-ling, and the designation or literary epithet by which, in accordance with Chinese usage, he was commonly known among his friends, was Liu-hsien, or “Last of the Immortals.” A further fancy name, given to him probably by some enthusiastic admirer, was Liu-ch’üan, or “Willow Spring”, but he is now familiarly spoken of simply as P’u Sung-ling. We are unacquainted with the years of his birth or death; however, by the aid of a meagre entry in the History of Tzŭ-ch’uan it is possiblee to make a pretty good guess at the date of the former event. For we are there told that Pu Sung-ling successfully competed for the lowest or bachelor’s degree before he had reached the age of twenty; and that in 1651 he was in the position of a graduate of ten years’ standing, having failed in the interim to take the second, or master’s, degree. To this [p. xii] failure, due, as we are informed in the history above quoted, to his neglect of the beaten track of academic study, we owe the existence of his great work; not, indeed, his only production, though the one; by which, as Confucius said of his own “Spring and Autumn,”1 men will know him. All else that we have on record of P’u Sung-ling, besides the fact that he lived in close companionship with several eminent scholars of the day, is gathered from his own words, written when, in 1679, he laid down his pen upon the completion of a task which was to raise him within a short period to a foremost rank in the Chinese world of letters. Of that record I here append a close translation, accompanied by such notes as are absolutely necessary to make it intelligible to non-students of Chinese. AUTHOR’S OWN RECORD “Clad in wistaria, girdled with ivy”;2 thus sang Ch’ü-P’ing[3] in his Falling into Trouble.4 Of ox-headed devils and serpent Gods,5 he of the long-nails[6] never wearied to tell. Each interprets in his own way the music of heaven[7] and whether it be discord or not, depends upon, antecedent 1 Annals of the Lu State. 2 Said of the bogies of the hills, in allusion to their clothes. Here quoted with reference to the official classes, in ridicule of the title under which they hold posts which, from a literary point of view, they are totally unfit to occupy. 3 A celebrated statesman (B.C. 332-295) who, having lost his master’s favour by the intrigues of a rival; finally drowned himself in despair. The annual Dragon Festival is said by some to be a “Search” for his body. The term San Lü used here was the name of an office held by Ch’ü-P’ing. 4 A-poem addressed by Ch’ü-P’ing to his Prince, after his disgrace. Its non-success was the immediate cause of his death. 5 That is, of the supernatural generally. 6 A poet of the Tang dynasty whose eyebrows met, whose nails were very long, and who could write very fast. 7 “You know the music of earth,” said Chuang Tzŭ; “but you have not heard the music of heaven.” [p. xiii] causes.8 As for me, I cannot, with my poor autumn fire-fly’s light, match myself against the hobgoblins of the age.9 I am but the dust in the sunbeam, a fit laughing-stock for devils.10 For my talents are not those of Kan Pao,11 elegant explorer of the records of the Gods; I am rather animated by the spirit of Su Tung-p’o,12 who loved to hear men speak of the supernatural. I get people to commit what they tell me to writing and subsequently I dress it up in the form of a story and thus in the lapse of time my friends from all quarters have supplied me with quantities of material, which, from my habit of collecting, has grown into a vast pile.l3 Human beings, I would point out, are not beyond the pale of fixed laws, and yet there are more remarkable phenomena in their midst than in the country of those who crop their hair;14 antiquity is unrolled before us, and many tales are to be found therein stranger than that of the nation of Flying Heads.15 “Irrepressible bursts, and 8 That is, to the operation of some Influence surviving from a previous existence. 9 This is another hit at the ruling classes. Hsi K’ang, a celebrated musician and a1chemist (A.D. 223-262), was sitting one night alone, playing upon his lute, when suddenly a man with a tiny face walked in, and began to stare hard at him, the stranger’s face enlarging all the time. “I’m not going to match myself against a devil!” cried the musician, after a few moments, and instantly blew out the light. 10 When Liu Chüan, governor of Wu-ling, determined to relieve his poverty by trade, he saw a devil standing by his side, laughing and rubbing its hands for glee. “Poverty and wealth are matters of destiny,” said Liu Chüan,.” but to be laughed at by a devil— ,” and accordingingly he desisted from his intention. 11 A writer who flourished in the early part of the fourth century, and composed a work in thirty books entitled Supernatural Researches. 12 The famous poet, statesman, and essayist, who, flourished A.D. 1036-1101. 13 “And his friends had the habit off jotting down for his unfailing delight anything quaint or comic that they came across.”—The World on Charles Dickens, July 24, 1878. 14 It is related in the Historical Record that when T’ai Po and Yü Chung fled to the southern savages they saw men with tattooed bodies and short hair. 15 A fabulous community, so called because the heads of the men are in the habit of leaving their bodies, and flying down to marshy places to feed on worms and crabs. A red ring is seen the night hefore the flight encircling the neck of the man whose head is about to fly; at daylight the head returns. Some say that the ears are used as wings, others that the hands also leave the body and fly away. [p. xiv] luxurious ease,”16— such was always his enthusiastic strain, “For ever indulging in liberal thought,”17—thus he spoke openly without restraint. Were men like these to open my book, I should be a laughing-stock to them indeed. At the crossroad[18] men will not listen to me, and yet I have some knowledge of the three states of existence[19] spoken of beneath the cliff,20 neither should the words I utter be set aside because of him that utters them.21 When the bow[22] was hung at my father’s door, he dreamed that a sickly-looking Buddhist priest, but half covered by his stole, entered the chamber. On one of his breasts was a round piece of plaster like a cash23 and my father, waking from sleep, found that I, just born, had a similar black patch on my body. As a child, I was thin and constantly ailing, and unable to hold my own in the battle of life. Our own home was chill and desolate as a monastery and working there for my livelihood with my pen,24 I was as poor as a priest with his alms-bowl.25 Often and often I put my hand to my head26 and exclaimed, 16 A quotation from the admired works of Wang Po, a brilliant scholar and poet, who was drowned at the early age of twenty-eight, A.D. 676. 17 I have hitherto failed in all attempts to identify the particular writer here intended. The phrase is used by the poet Li T’ai-po and others. 18 The cross-road of the “Five Fathers”“ is here mentioned, which the commentator tells us is merely the name of the place. 19 The past, present, and future life of the Buddhist system of metempsychosis. 20 A certain man, who was staying at a temple, dreamt that an old priest appeared to him beneath a jade-stone cliff, and, pointing to a stick of burning incense, said to him, “That incense represents a vow to be fulfilled; but I say unto you, that ere its smoke shall have curled away, your three states of existence will have been already accomplished.” The meaning is that time on earth is as nothing to the Gods. 21 This remark occurs in the fifteenth chapter of the Analects or Confucian Gospels. 22 The birth. of a boy was formerly signalled by hanging a bow at the door; that of a girl, by displaying a small towel-indicative of the parts that each would hereafter play in the drama of life. 23 See Note 2 to No. II. 24 Literally, “ploughing with my pen.” 25 The patra or bowl, used by Buddhist mendicants, in imitation of the celebrated alms-dish of Shâkyamuni Buddha. 26 Literally, “scratched my head,”‘ as is often done by the Chinese in perplexity or doubt. [p. xv] “Surely he who sat with his face to the wall[27] was myself in previous state of existence”; and thus I referred my non-success in this life to the influence of a destiny surviving from the last. I have been tossed hither and thither in the direction of the ruling wind, like a flower falling in filthy places, but the six paths[28] of transmigration are inscrutable indeed, and I have no right to complain. As it is, midnight finds me with an expiring lamp, while the wind whistles mournfully without “and over my cheerless table I piece together my tales,29 vainly hoping to produce a sequel to the Infernal Regions.30 With a bumper I stimulate my pen, yet I only succeed thereby in “venting my excited feelings,”31 and as I thus commit my thoughts to writing, truly I am an object worthy of commiseration. Alas! I am but the bird, that dreading the winter frost, finds no shelter in the tree; the autumn insect that chirps to the moon, and hugs the door for warmth. For where are they who know me?32 They are “in the bosky grove, and at the frontier pass”33—wrapped in an impenetrable gloom! 27 Alluding to Bôdhidharma, who came from India to China, and tried to convert the Emperor Wu Ti of the Liang dynasty; but, failing in his attempt, because be insisted that real merit lay not in works but in purity and wisdom combined, he retired full of mortification to a temple at Sung-shan, where he sat for nine years before a rock, until his own Image was imprinted thereon. 28 The six gâti or conditions of existence, namely:—angels, men, demons, hungry devils, brute beasts, and tortured sinners. 29 Literally, “pulling together the pieces under the forelegs (of foxes) to make robes.” This part of the fox-skin is the most valuable for making fur clothes. 30 The work of a well-known writer, named Lin I-ch’ing, who flourished during the Sung Dynasty. 31 Alluding to an essay by Han Fei, a philosopher of the third century in which he laments the iniquity of the age in general, and the corruption of officials in particular. He finally committed suicide, in prison, where he had been cast by the intrigues of a rival minister. 32 Confucius (Anal. xiv.) said, “Alas! there is no one who knows me (to be what I am).” 33 The great poet Tu Fu (A. D. 712-770) dreamt that his greater predecessor, Li T”ai- po (A.D. 705-762) appeared to him, “coming when the maple-grove was in darkness, and returning while the frontier-pass was still obscured”—that is, at night, when no one could see him; the meaning being that he never came at all; and that those “who know me (P’u Sung-ling)” are equally non-existent. [p. xv] From the above curious document the reader will gain some insight into the abstruse, but at the same time marvellously beautiful, style of this gifted writer. The whole essay —for such it is, and among the most perfect of its kind—is intended chiefly as a satire upon the scholarship of the age; scholarship which had turned the author back to the disappointment of a private life, himself conscious all the time of the inward fire that had been lent him by heaven. It is the key-note of his own subsequent career, spent in the retirement of home, in the society of books and friends; as also to the numerous uncomplimentary allusions which occur in all his stories relating to official life. Whether or not the world at large has been a gainer by this instance of the fallibility of competitive examinations has been already decided in the affirmative by the millions of P’u Sung-ling’s own countrymen, who for the past two hundred years have more than made up to him by a posthumous and enduring reverence for the loss of those earthly and ephemeral honours which he seems to have coveted so much. Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, known to the Chinese as the Liao Chai Chih I, or more familiarly, the Liao Chai, has hardly been mentioned by a single foreigner without some inaccuracy on the part of the writer concerned. For instance, the late Mr. Mayers states in his Chinese Reader’s Manual, p. 176, that this work was composed “circa A.D. 1710,” the fact being that the collection was actually completed in 1679, as we know by the date attached to the “ Author’s Own Record” given above. I should mention, however, that the Liao Chai was originally, and for many years, circulated in manuscript only. P’u Sung-ling, as we are told in a colophon by his grandson to the first edition, was too poor to meet [p. xvii] the heavy expense of block-cutting and it was not until so late as 1740, when the author must have been already for some time a denizen of the dark land he so much loved to describe, that his aforesaid grandson printed and published the collection now universally famous. Since then many editions have been laid before the Chinese public, the best of which is that by Tan Ming-lun, a Salt Commissioner, who flourished during the reign of Tao Kuang, and who in 1842 produced, at his own expense, an excellent edition in sixteen small octavo volumes of about 160 pages each. And as various editions will occasionally be found to contain various readings, I would here warn students of Chinese who wish to compare my rendering; with the text, that it is from the edition of Tan Ming-lun, collated with that of Yü Chi, published in 1766, that this translation has been made. Many have been the commentaries and disquisitions upon the meaning of obscure passages and the general scope of this work; to say nothing of the prefaces with which the several editions have been ushered into the world. Of the latter, I have selected one specimen, from which the reader will be able to form a tolerably accurate opinion as to the true nature of these always singular and usually difficult compositions. Here it is : T’ANG MÊNG-LAI’S PREFACE The common saying, “He regards a camel as a horse with a swelled back,” trivial of itself, may be used in illustration of greater matters. Men are wont to attribute an existence only to such things as they daily see with their own eyes, and they marvel at whatsoever, appearing before them at one instant, vanishes at the next. And, yet [p. xviii] it is not at the sprouting and failing of foliage, nor at the metamorphosis of insects that they marvel, but only at the manifestations of the supernatural world; though of a truth, the whistling of the wind and the movement of streams, with nothing to set the one in motion or give sound to the other, might well be ranked among extraordinary phenomena. We are accustomed to these, and therefore do not note them. We marvel at devils and foxes: we do not marvel at man. But who is it that causes a man to move and to speak?—to which question comes the ready answer of each individual so questioned, “I do.” This “I do,” however, is merely a personal consciousness of the facts under …