The Tasty Visitor
Master Ye Fashan(葉法善) was skilled in talismanic magic. The Emperor honored him several times as a Hongluqing(鴻臚卿), bestowing upon him lavish rewards and special treatment.
Ye Fashan resided in the Xuanzhen Temple(玄真觀), often hosting a dozen or more courtiers who would come to the temple, loosen their belts, and stay without intending to leave. The seats would be occupied, and they’d desire wine to drink.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door, claiming to be Qu Xiucai. Ye Fashan sent word to him, ‘There are colleagues from the court here presently; we have no time to converse. Read More “The Tasty Visitor”
The Dragon’s Pearl
In Jingxiang, there is a temple nestled close to mountains and water, where a dragon resides. This dragon often stirs up storms, damaging trees. Within the temple, there is an old man named Zhang who strikes the bell; he is a sorcerer, unknown to the monks. Zhang detests the havoc caused by this dragon and desires to capture and kill it, secretly performing magic.
The dragon, aware of this, transforms into a human and secretly informs one of the monks, saying, ‘I am a dragon, living in these waters for many years. Read More “The Dragon’s Pearl”
Love Story of the Flying Head Demon Clan
Once upon a time, a flying head demon (飛頭䝤) flew out of his body at night. Suddenly, he saw his daughter’s head flying next to the head of a boy from another family. They were eating a fish together by the stream. When it was time to say goodbye, they were reluctant to part. When the flying head demon returned home, he arranged for his daughter to marry the boy from the family.
Story and image from《點石齋畫報》. Dianshizhai huabao or Dianshizhai Pictorial (《點石齋畫報》, 1884–1898) was a Chinese language magazine published in Shanghai in the late 19th century. Read More “Love Story of the Flying Head Demon Clan”
Illustration for 《辛十四娘》in《聊齋誌異》
The story tells of Xin Shisiniang(辛十四娘), a beautiful woman in red who is a kind-hearted fox spirit, aspires to help others and become an immortal.
Although she is a fox spirit, she has a kind heart. She lives with her fox father and 18 sisters in a dilapidated temple. She is named Shishier because she is the 14th of 19 sisters.
Illustration for《荷花三娘子》in《聊齋誌異》
The story tells of the encounter between the scholar Zong Xiangruo and the fox spirit. Living with a fox will shorten his lifespan, so she told Zong how to meet the lotus fairy and marry her.
ZhuYin/燭陰
Zhu Yin(燭陰), also known as Candle Dragon(燭龍), is a mythical creature in ancient Chinese #mythology. It controls the day and night with its fiery eyes and breath
Read More “ZhuYin/燭陰”Zhu Rong, also known as Candle Dragon, is a mythical creature in ancient Chinese mythology. Zhu Rong is a mountain deity with a human face and a snake’s body. Its skin is red, and it lives in the frigid north. When it opens its eyes, it is daytime. When it closes its eyes, it is nighttime.
BiBi/獙獙
a mythical beast in China, lives in Mount Gufeng(姑逢). It is like a fox with wings, and its cry is like that of a swan. When it appears, the world will be struck by a great drought.
ShuangShuang/雙雙
An animal in Classic of Mountains and Seas formed by the combination of three green beasts, called Shuangshuang(雙雙)
ChuTi/䟣踢
The beast in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, with two heads on either side is called ChuTi.