Pu Songling was a Chinese writer during the Qing dynasty, best known as the author of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio.
"The Painted Skin" is a short story by the Chinese writer Pu Songling collected in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio in 1740. Literary critics have recognised it as one of the best and best-known entries in Strange Tales; in particular, its textual detail and in-depth characterisation are lauded. "The Painted Skin" has also received numerous adaptations in popular media, especially in film. The story's original title has become a common phrase in Chinese vocabulary, "a synonym for duplicity that wears an outwardly human face but is inwardly demonic".
"Huang Jiulang" is a short story by Pu Songling first published in the third volume of Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio. The story features He Shican, a homosexual studio owner who becomes smitten with Huang Jiulang, a fox spirit, and their subsequent lives as a reborn government official and the lover of another gay official, respectively. "Huang Jiulang" is notable for being a full-length narrative on homosexuality in China; one of its English translated titles, "Cut Sleeve", alludes to Emperor Ai of Han's same-sex relationship with Dong Xian.
"The Fornicating Dog" is a short story by Chinese author Pu Songling first published in Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio (1740). The story pertains to a Chinese merchant's spouse, a zoophile who develops sexual relations with the family's pet dog; Pu himself was critical of such phenomena as sexual fixation on animals. It was dropped from early editions, both Chinese and translated, of Liaozhai, notwithstanding Pu's original manuscript, and was translated into English by John Minford in 2006.
"A Prank" is a short story by Pu Songling collected in Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio (1740) that pertains to a prankster whose act goes awry. It was translated into English by John Minford in 2006.
"Twenty Years a Dream" is a short story written by Chinese author Pu Songling in Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio (1740). One of the earlier entries in the collection, it revolves around a bachelor's romantic relations with a female ghost. The story was favourably received by literary critics.
"Dragon Dormant", also known as "The Hibernating Dragon", is a short story by Chinese author Pu Songling collected in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. The story is about a character named "Commissioner Qu" and his encounter with a supernatural creature in his study.
"A Strange Matter Concerning Pigeons", also translated variously as "A Strange Tale of Pigeons" or "A Strangeness of Pigeons", is a short story by Pu Songling first published in Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio (1740). It revolves around Zhang Youliang, an avid pigeon-keeper who befriends a fellow collector and is entrusted to care for a few of his pigeons. The story has been translated into both English and French, and adapted into an art installation.
"Stealing Peaches", also variously translated as "The Peach Theft", "Theft of the Peach", "Stolen Peaches", and "Stealing a Peach", is a short story by Pu Songling, first published in Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio (1740). It is told in first person by Pu himself, and revolves around a magic trick similar to the Indian rope trick; Pu claims to have witnessed it personally as a child.
"Three Lives" is a short story by Pu Songling first published in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio which follows the past lives of a scholar. It has been adapted into a play and translated into English.
"Growing Pears", also variously translated as "Planting a Pear Tree", "Sowing Pears", and "The Wonderful Pear Tree", is a short story by Pu Songling, first published in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. Set in ancient China, the story revolves around a miserly pear seller and a Taoist priest.
"The Raksha Country and the Sea Market" is a short story by Pu Songling first published in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. Told in two parts, the story follows the adventures of scholar-merchant Ma Ji, and is one of the first Strange Tales entries to be translated into English. Some critics have argued that "The Raksha Country" serves as social commentary on topics including hypocrisy, conventional standards of beauty, and nationalism. The story was likely inspired by both ancient Hindu mythology and early Chinese literature; it has been adapted for the stage.
"The Monster in the Buckwheat" is a short story by Pu Songling, first published in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (1740). It concerns an elderly farmer's repeat encounters with a demon.
"The Fighting Cricket" is a short story by Pu Songling first published in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. Set in a society whose emperor has an obsession with fighting crickets, the story follows a boy who metamorphoses into one such cricket to save his father.
"The Wutong Spirits" is a short story by Pu Songling first published in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. It follows locals in Southern China who are terrorised by one of the Wutong Shen, a group of five malevolent spirits. The antagonist reappears in the following Strange Tales story titled "Another Wutong Spirit".
"Wang Liulang", also translated as "Sixth Brother Wang", is a short story by Pu Songling first published in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. The story follows a Chinese fisherman's friendship with the title character, a water spirit who has to drown a human being in the river in which he is imprisoned, in order to be reincarnated.
"The Shuimang Herb", also translated as "The Shuimang Plant", is a short story by Pu Songling first published in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio.
"Old Man Zhu" is a short story by Pu Songling, first published in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (1740). It revolves around the titular gentleman who returns from the dead to fetch his wife.
"Fourth Sister Hu" is a short story by Pu Songling, first published in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (1740). It revolves around a Chinese scholar who encounters a pair of fox spirits.
"Judge Lu" is a short story written by Pu Songling (1640–1715) and first published in 1766 in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. It revolves around a scholar and his friendship with a judge from the underworld, who performs a heart transplant on him and a head transplant on his wife. The story was translated into English by Herbert Giles in 1880.
