Project Gutenberg 2013-09-03 Public domain in the USA. 733 Pu, Songling 1640 1715 Xi, Zhousheng Hsi, Chou-sheng 蒲松齡 Giles, Herbert Allen 1845 1935 Giles, H. A. (Herbert Allen) Giles, Herbert A. Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, Vol. 2 (of 2) Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strange_Tales_from_a_Chinese_Studio Produced by obstobst, Henry Flower and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries) "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, Vol. 2 (of 2)" by Songling Pu is a collection of fictional tales written in the late 19th century. The stories delve into themes of morality, love, and the supernatural through various vignettes featuring fantastical elements and richly drawn characters. Each tale seems to provide a reflection on human nature and the complexities of life in ancient China. The opening portion introduces us to the tale of Ma Chün (also known as Lung-mei), a remarkably beautiful young trader's son, whose adventures begin when he embarks on a sea voyage only to be caught in a typhoon. He washes ashore to a bizarre land inhabited by physically ugly people who initially fear him, believing he is a devil due to his beauty. As Ma navigates this strange land, he learns of its customs and social hierarchy based on physical appearance rather than merit, ultimately leading to his rise in societal status, musical accomplishments, a royal marriage, and poignant reflections on love and duty. This narrative sets the stage for a fantasy filled with rich allegories and explorations of personal identity, illustrating sharp contrasts between beauty and societal expectations. (This is an automatically generated summary.) file:///public/vhost/g/gutenberg/html/files/43628/43628-h/images/cover.jpg Reading ease score: 72.7 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en China -- Social life and customs -- Fiction Short stories, Chinese -- Translations into English PL Text Category: Short Stories Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore 942553 2025-07-17T13:42:46.879444 text/html 880208 2024-10-23T18:21:07 text/html 355106 2025-07-17T13:43:02.892366 application/epub+zip 368885 2025-07-17T13:42:50.599455 application/epub+zip 368886 2025-07-17T13:42:48.757415 application/epub+zip 688368 2025-07-17T13:43:11.006376 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 515182 2025-07-17T13:43:00.820385 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 515242 2022-09-19T20:59:32.572588 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 605392 2025-07-17T13:42:44.905483 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 585402 2024-10-23T18:21:07 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 18516 2025-07-17T13:43:11.173345 application/rdf+xml 9566 2025-07-17T13:42:49.025439 image/jpeg 2105 2025-07-17T13:42:48.893424 image/jpeg 327461 2025-07-17T13:42:46.935434 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 en.wikipedia en.wikipedia