Strange Stories From a Chinese Studio, volume 1
Songling Pu
Read by LibriVox Volunteers
"Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio" (or "Strange Tales of Liaozhai") is a collection of nearly five hundred mostly supernatural tales written by Pu Songling during the early Qing Dynasty. It was written in Classical Chinese rather than Vernacular Chinese. Pu is believed to have completed the majority of the tales sometime in 1679, though he could have added entries as late as 1707. He borrows from a folk tradition of oral storytelling to put to paper a series of captivating, colorful stories, where the boundary between reality and the odd or fantastic is blurred. The cast of characters includes vixen spirits, ghosts, scholars, court officials, Taoist exorcists and beasts. Moral purposes are often inverted between humans and the supposedly degenerate ghosts or spirits, resulting in a satirical edge to some of the stories. Ghosts and spirits are often bold and trustworthy, while humans are on the other hand weak, indecisive and easily manipulated, reflecting the author's own disillusionment with his society. (Summary by Wikipedia)
In this project, Librivox volunteers read from Volume 1 of Herbert Giles' English translation of these classic stories. (0 hr 6 min)
Chapters
Introduction | 29:40 | Read by Availle |
Examination for the Post of Guardian Angel | 6:54 | Read by Availle |
The Talking Pupils | 5:59 | Read by Sonia |
The Painted Wall | 6:30 | Read by Sonia |
Planting a Pear-tree | 3:38 | Read by Sonia |
The Taoist Priest of Lao-shan | 6:56 | Read by Sonia |
The Buddhist Priest of Ch'ang-ching | 4:49 | Read by William |
The Marriage of the Fox's Daughter | 10:38 | Read by JaneHackathorn |
Miss Chiao-no | 19:48 | Read by JaneHackathorn |
Magical Arts | 7:41 | Read by JaneHackathorn |
Joining the Immortals | 20:04 | Read by Amy Sun |
The Fighting Quails | 16:39 | Read by JaneHackathorn |
The Painted Skin | 10:50 | Read by Lucy Perry |
The Trader's Son | 16:58 | Read by J. Olpecre |
Judge Lu | 15:46 | Read by Anna Roberts |
Miss Ying-ning; or, the Laughing Girl | 29:29 | Read by Availle |
The Magic Sword | 22:22 | Read by JaneHackathorn |
The Shui-mang Plant | 12:29 | Read by Lian Pang |
Little Chu | 15:17 | Read by JaneHackathorn |
Miss Quarta Hu | 8:57 | Read by JaneHackathorn |
Mr Chu, The Considerate Husband | 3:38 | Read by LisaRubio |
The Magnanimous Girl | 7:13 | Read by Lucy Perry |
The Boon-Companion | 4:26 | Read by Sonia |
Miss Lien-Hsiang, The Fox-girl | 27:15 | Read by Availle |
Miss A-Pao; or, Perseverance Rewarded | 15:20 | Read by JaneHackathorn |
Jen Hsiu, The Gambler | 8:41 | Read by JaneHackathorn |
The Lost Brother | 15:36 | Read by Becca |
The Three Genii | 3:37 | Read by Sonia |
The Singing Frogs | 1:27 | Read by LisaRubio |
The Performing Mice | 1:31 | Read by LisaRubio |
Tiger of Chao-Ch'eng | 5:58 | Read by VfkaBT |
A Dwarf | 3:24 | Read by J. Olpecre |
Hsiang-Ju's Misfortunes | 23:11 | Read by John Burlinson (1950-2024) |
Chang's Transformation | 15:02 | Read by VfkaBT |
A Taoist Priest | 7:41 | Read by JaneHackathorn |
The Fight with the Foxes | 9:58 | Read by VfkaBT |
The King | 10:22 | Read by J. Olpecre |
Engaged to a Nun | 13:58 | Read by Amelia Chesley |
The Young Lady of the Tung-t'ing Lake | 12:36 | Read by Lian Pang |
The Man who was changed into a Crow | 13:14 | Read by Availle |
The Flower-nymphs | 15:28 | Read by Lian Pang |
Ta-nan in Search of his Father | 19:29 | Read by John Burlinson (1950-2024) |
The Wonderful Stone | 12:55 | Read by jftocanada |
The Quarrelsome Brothers | 20:56 | Read by JaneHackathorn |
The Young Gentleman who couldn't spell | 5:54 | Read by Piotr Nater |
The Tiger Guest | 10:42 | Read by Tony Addison |
The Sisters | 10:52 | Read by JaneHackathorn |
Foreign Priests | 3:53 | Read by J. Olpecre |
The Self-punished Murderer | 3:14 | Read by J. Olpecre |
The Master-thief | 5:59 | Read by J. Olpecre |
A Flood | 3:10 | Read by J. Olpecre |
Death by Laughing | 4:09 | Read by J. Olpecre |
Playing at Hanging | 2:41 | Read by J. Olpecre |
The Rat Wife | 22:05 | Read by J. Olpecre |
The Man who was Thrown Down a Well | 14:36 | Read by larryhayes7 |
The Virtuous Daughter-In-Law | 18:29 | Read by Kalynda |
Dr Tseng's Dream | 16:36 | Read by Availle |
Country of the Cannibals | 22:49 | Read by J. Olpecre |
Foot-ball on the Tung-t'ing Lake | 7:51 | Read by JaneHackathorn |
The Thunder God | 8:03 | Read by Michael L |
The Gambler's Talisman | 3:45 | Read by Michael L |
The Husband Punished | 9:28 | Read by JaneHackathorn |
The Marriage Lottery | 7:47 | Read by JaneHackathorn |