Role Play

Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio

by Pu Songling

About this book

Pu Songling's classic collection of nearly 500 tales of foxes, ghosts, and the uncanny edges of the mortal world — curated here into 26 of its most famous doorways. Fall for a laughing girl who turns out not to be quite human, strike a bargain you shouldn't have, or step into the court of the dead to argue a case no living voice has ever won.

Characters in this book

the scholar (生)A cultured, refined scholar, often keeping company with the supernatural | Devoted and loyal, unafraid of life or death | Loves reading poetry and the classics, and easily swayed by love
the Taoist priest (道士)Flowing silver hair, an otherworldly, immortal bearing | Speaks in riddles and mysteries, decisive when slaying demons | Traps spirits in a gourd, untouched by the dust of the world
Tian Qilang (田七郎)Fierce, wolfish eyes and a wasp-thin waist, clothes patched and mended | Simple and honoring loyalty above all, unwavering in repaying a debt of kindness | Wears a blade that sings as he leaps, decisive and merciless in a fight
The Chronicler of Strange Tales (异史氏)A cool, detached observer | Uses tales of the strange to satirize the ways of the world | Wields a sharp, incisive pen
the old man (叟)An elder in scholar's cap, cultured in speech | Composed in manner, upholding ritual and honor | A descendant of Tushan, hidden away in an abandoned house
Xiangyu (香玉)A plain-robed figure moving among the flowers | A cool, sorrowful, and striking presence | Conveys her feelings through exchanges of poetry

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