Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio（聊斋志异）

《Liao Zhai Zhi Yi》commonly known as “Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio” or colloquially as “Tales of Ghosts and Foxes”, is a collection of classical Chinese short stories written in literary Chinese by the Qing dynasty author Pu Songling. The earliest manuscript copies of these stories were circulated during the Kangxi period of the Qing dynasty.

Born into a scholarly family, Pu Songling initially sought to enter officialdom through the imperial examination system. Unfortunately, after many attempts, he did not pass and was relegated to earning a living by teaching. From a young age, he had a strong interest in folk tales about ghosts and spirits. It is said that in order to collect material for his writings, Pu Songling opened a teahouse near his home, where patrons could pay for their tea by telling him a story. Utilizing this method, he gathered a vast array of extraordinary tales which, after refining and editing, he included in his work “Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio”.