The Life and Times of China’s Master Storyteller

On the twenty-second day of the first lunar month in 1715, as dusk settled over Shandong province, Pu Songling breathed his last while seated by a window – a poignant end for one of China’s greatest literary minds. Born in 1640 during the tumultuous Ming-Qing transition, Pu spent most of his life as a poor scholar, repeatedly failing the imperial examinations that would have secured him an official position. This perpetual outsider status gave him unique insight into both elite culture and common folk traditions.

Despite his poverty, Pu created what would become one of China’s most beloved literary works: Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (聊斋志异). Unable to afford printing costs during his lifetime, the collection circulated only in handwritten copies among friends and admirers. Today, this masterpiece has been translated into at least 25 languages and remains required reading for Chinese schoolchildren. Even modern Chinese leaders like Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping counted themselves among its devoted readers, with Mao particularly admiring the tale “Xi Fangping.”

The Architectural Homage to a Literary Giant

The enduring popularity of Pu’s work led to the creation of the Liaozhai Palace, a stunning architectural tribute designed by Zhang Jinqiu, member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. This immersive experience brings to life Pu’s fictional worlds, particularly focusing on two famous stories: “Xi Fangping” and “The Raksha Country and the Sea Market.” Literary scholar Ma Ruifang served as consultant for this project that transports visitors through earthly, marine, and celestial realms from Pu’s imagination.

Love in All Its Forms: Pu’s Revolutionary Approach

Ancient Greek mythology tells of humans originally created as spherical beings with doubled features, later split by Zeus into incomplete halves forever seeking reunion – an allegory for love’s primal power. Philosophers from Feuerbach to Vasiliev have pondered love’s essence, while literature has explored its infinite variations. Pu Songling inherited this rich tradition but revolutionized it, creating what we might call China’s first comprehensive taxonomy of love relationships.

### Ghostly Love Beyond the Grave

Long before Hollywood’s Ghost popularized supernatural romance, Pu was crafting profound tales of love transcending death. In “Huan Niang,” a talented musician named Wen Ruchun encounters a mysterious maiden who helps him find earthly love while revealing herself as a ghostly admirer. This story elevates ghost-human relationships beyond physical attraction into the realm of spiritual connection, anticipating what Western tradition would later call Platonic love.

Pu’s treatment is remarkably progressive – Huan Niang orchestrates events to unite Wen with his mortal beloved, then promises reunion in another life. The scholar But Minglun’s commentary notes how she “adjusts others’ zithers, replaces the garments of those with thin fates” – becoming a selfless facilitator rather than possessive spirit. This represents one of Chinese literature’s earliest explorations of non-physical, spiritually fulfilling relationships between men and women.

### The ‘Niyou’ Concept: Friendship Beyond Romance

In “Jiao Luo,” Pu develops his most radical relationship model. The story follows scholar Kong Xueli who falls for the young Jiao Luo but marries her cousin instead. When disaster strikes, Jiao Luo saves Kong’s life through an intimate medical procedure involving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Rather than becoming his second wife (a common literary trope), Jiao Luo moves nearby as what Pu terms a “niyou” – an intimate friend without sexual relationship.

Pu’s commentary makes his revolutionary intent clear: “Of Kong Xueli, I do not envy him his beautiful wife, but rather his niyou. To see her countenance could make one forget hunger; to hear her voice could make one smile… This ‘soul-to-soul’ connection surpasses physical intimacy.” This concept of deep, non-sexual friendship between men and women was virtually unheard of in Pu’s time.

The Apotheosis of Love: Soulmates Defying Death

“Lian Cheng” represents Pu’s most complete vision of ideal love. When talented embroiderer Lian Cheng falls ill, requiring a piece of her lover’s flesh as medicine, her wealthy fiancé refuses while poor scholar Qiao Sheng willingly cuts flesh from his chest. Their bond exemplifies Pu’s concept of “zhiji zhi lian” (soulmate love), with Qiao declaring: “A scholar dies for his soulmate, not for beauty.”

Their love survives death itself – when Lian Cheng dies, Qiao Sheng expires from grief and pursues her soul into the afterlife. Their devotion convinces underworld officials to grant them rebirth and eventual marriage. This tale systematically dismantles traditional barriers: parental authority crumbles before true love, wealth proves meaningless, and even death cannot separate the destined pair.

The Courtesan and True Devotion

The short story “Rui Yun” distills Pu’s philosophy into a compact parable. When a beautiful courtesan is magically disfigured, her impoverished admirer He Sheng redeems her anyway, declaring: “In life what we value is a soulmate. When you were flourishing you could recognize my worth – how could I forget you in your decline?” The eventual restoration of Rui Yun’s beauty serves as cosmic reward for He’s unconditional love.

Pu Songling’s Enduring Legacy

Three centuries after his death, Pu’s insights about relationships continue to resonate. His taxonomy of love – from ghostly passion to spiritual friendship to soulmate devotion – created a vocabulary for emotional connection that still informs Chinese romantic ideals. Modern adaptations across media prove his stories’ timeless appeal, while the Liaozhai Palace ensures new generations can experience his imaginative worlds.

Most remarkably, Pu anticipated contemporary discussions about emotional intimacy versus physical attraction, non-romantic soul connections, and love’s power to transcend social barriers. In an era of rigid Confucian hierarchies, he championed relationships based on mutual understanding rather than material concerns. As Pu himself might say: history has proven just – while the imperial examination candidates he envied faded into obscurity, his stories shine brighter with each passing century.