Project Gutenberg 2008-04-29 Public domain in the USA. 213 Zhang, Zhuo 張鷟 Zhang, Wencheng 遊仙窟 You Xian Ku Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Xian_Ku Produced by Jun-Bi Lai "遊仙窟" by Zhuo Zhang is a classical Chinese literary work, likely a romantic novel written during the late imperial period. The narrative explores themes of love, longing, and the ethereal nature of existence, drawing upon traditional elements of Chinese culture and folklore, especially concerning immortality and the metaphysical world. The story follows the protagonist, who, during a journey, discovers a mystical cave known as the "仙窟" (xian ku), where he encounters a beautiful woman named 十娘 (Shi Niang), a character representing both earthly beauty and divine allure. As the protagonist engages in poetic exchanges with her, their initial meeting evolves into deeper emotional and philosophical musings. Their connection is intertwined with themes of fate and existential yearning, illustrating the complexities of love and the struggles between desires and inevitable separation. As the narrative unfolds, the protagonist grapples with his feelings for Shi Niang, contemplating mortality and the transient nature of beauty, underscoring the poignant tension of their short-lived encounter in the realm of the divine and human. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 99.3 (5th grade). Very easy to read. zh Chinese fiction -- Tang dynasty, 618-907 PL Text Browsing: History - General Browsing: Literature Browsing: Fiction Category: Romance Category: Novels Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore 61896 2025-06-10T11:46:46.163031 text/html 61717 2025-01-10T11:34:27.958444 text/html 80182 2025-06-10T11:46:50.187011 application/epub+zip 79105 2025-06-10T11:46:47.875037 application/epub+zip 79103 2025-06-10T11:46:46.744018 application/epub+zip 136289 2025-06-10T11:46:51.739017 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 131620 2025-06-10T11:46:49.468019 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 109083 2022-09-11T14:12:04.674287 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 53919 2025-06-10T11:46:45.927065 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 53853 2008-04-29T12:49:38 text/plain; charset=utf-8 25156 2008-04-29T12:49:40 text/plain; charset=utf-8 application/zip 17062 2025-06-10T11:46:51.885985 application/rdf+xml 8192 2025-06-10T11:46:47.324018 image/jpeg 2362 2025-06-10T11:46:47.049023 image/jpeg 77789 2025-06-10T11:46:46.169041 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog