In Search Of The Supernatural

In Search Of The Supernatural(《搜神记》/《搜神記》) is a collection of supernatural stories in the form of notes written by the Eastern Jin historian Gan Bao. The original version is lost, and the current version is compiled and augmented by later generations. It consists of 20 volumes and contains 454 stories of varying lengths. The main characters include ghosts, monsters, and immortals, and the stories are a mix of Buddhist and Taoist beliefs. They often tell of supernatural events involving gods and spirits, and some are based on folk legends. The stories in The Search for the Supernatural are generally short and simple in plot, but they are full of imaginative and romantic imagery. They are considered the first Chinese mythological novels, and they have had a profound influence on later literature.