The Old Man Who Makes Barrels
During the Tang Dynasty, Wei Xinggui(韋行規) recounted an incident from his youth. Once, while traveling in the western capital, he arrived at a shop when it was getting dark. Despite that, he intended to continue his journey forward.
There was an old man working in the shop who advised him. “It’s late. It’s not safe to travel at night; there are many bandits around here.”
“I have prepared my bow and arrows. I am not afraid.” Replied Wei Xinggui.
He proceeded for several tens of miles more, and the night became exceptionally dark. Read More “The Old Man Who Makes Barrels”
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”
Flutes
Lv Xiangyun(呂鄉筠), a merchant from Dongting(洞庭), often traded Dongting fish and shrimp for miscellaneous goods in Jiangxi. He took one-tenth of the profit and, with surplus earnings, supported poor relatives and friends, helping the needy thereafter. He never saved money for himself. Lv Xiangyun was skilled at playing the flute. Whenever he encountered beautiful landscapes, he would sail and enjoy the scenery, playing his flute.
Once, on a mid-spring night, Lv Xiangyun’s boat was moored near Junshan Island. He set up a solitary feast and drank from a jug. Read More “Flutes”
The Scholar in A Goose Cage
In the mystical Eastern Jin Dynasty, a chance encounter with a footsore scholar leads Xu Yan into a bizarre realm of wonders. As gratitude, the scholar hosts a feast like no other, spewing forth a bronze tray filled with tantalizing delicacies. Yet, the strangeness doesn’t end there—geese, mysterious guests, and a peculiar screen unfold in this extraordinary tale of a feast that defies reality and leaves Xu Yan questioning the limits of the ordinary.
In the Eastern Jin Dynasty, in the east of Yangxian County, there was a man named Xu Yan walking in the Sui’an Mountains. Read More “The Scholar in A Goose Cage”
A Mysterious Night Encounter
During the Liu Song period of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Zhao Wenshao(趙文韶), a native of Kuaiji (modern-day Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province), served as an attendant in the Crown Prince’s palace in the capital city (present-day Nanjing). He lived near the foot of Purple Mountain by the Qingxi River, at Zhongqiao. His residence was separated from the house of the Minister Wang Shuqing by only a narrow lane, approximately two hundred steps away.
On a clear autumn night illuminated by the bright moonlight, Zhao Wenshao, gazing at the full moon, was overwhelmed with intense homesickness. Read More “A Mysterious Night Encounter”
The Tiger’s Wife
She saw they were all tigers, but she did not dare to say anything.
During the reign of Emperor Kaiyuan of the Tang Dynasty, a tiger took the daughter of a family as his wife and built a house in the mountains. The woman did not realize that her husband was a tiger even after two years.
One day, two guests came with wine and drank with her husband in the house. The husband warned her, “These two friends are not quite like the others, don’t peek at them.” Read More “The Tiger’s Wife”
Taoist Priest & Tiger
Tigers are nothing to be afraid of, as long as you close your breath and store your thoughts.
Ming Siyuan, a Taoist priest from Huashan, studied Taoist talismans diligently for more than thirty years. He often taught people the “Jinshui Shape Method(金水分形之法)” and told them to hold their breath and rely on their thoughts, and many people came to him to learn from him.
During the Yongtai period, Huazhou(華州, a place) was infested with tigers. Ming Siyuan told people, “Tigers are nothing to be afraid of, as long as you close your breath and store your thoughts, imagine that a lion comes out of each of your ten fingers, and let them rush forward, and the tiger will run away.” Read More “Taoist Priest & Tiger”
A Chinese Metamorphosis
The family spied a big soft-shelled turtle in the water of the bath tub through a hole in the wall.
The mother of Song Shizong, a native of Qinghe in the State of Wei, was bathing in her bathroom in the summer. She told her children in the family to close the door. The family spied a big soft-shelled turtle in the water of the bath tub through a hole in the wall.
So they opened the door and the family went in, but the big soft-shelled turtle didn’t bother them at all. Read More “A Chinese Metamorphosis”