Chinese Folk-Lore Tales

by J. Macgowan

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Pages: 125

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About this book

A sudden whirlwind around a woman in mourning sets an official on the trail of a hidden crime. In the opening tale, Shih-Kung notices that the strange wind disturbs only the widow, then sends his runners to watch her visit to a cemetery. His search for an explanation draws together local government, offerings to the dead and the authority of the City God.

J. Macgowan's collection brings Chinese tales of divine judgment and human conduct into English prose. Its contents include river gods, a water demon, a mysterious Buddhist robe and the rewards of a generous life. One episode follows a fairy disguised as an elderly stranger who tests Chang-lung by repeatedly asking him to retrieve a shoe from a stream. Such episodes give readers a view of storytelling in which ordinary acts of patience or kindness can carry consequences beyond the visible world.