The History of China - #242 - Strange Tales VII: The Lighter Side of the Other Side

Episode Date: October 9, 2022

Not all ghosts are scary! Some just want to be loved... some just want to write poems... 1:10 - Twenty Years a Dream 20:33 - A Fox Spirit Takes Off the Mask 25:32 - The Fire That Burst Into Flames Fa...r From Where It was Set 29:08 - Yellow Leaf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:00 You're listening to an Airwave Media Podcast. Hi everyone, this is Scott. If you want to learn about the world's oldest civilizations, find out how they were rediscovered, follow the story of Mark Antony and Cleopatra's descendants over ten generations, or take a deep dive into the Iron Age or the Hellenistic era, then check out the Ancient World Podcast. Available on all podcasting platforms or go to ancientworldpodcast.com. That's the Ancient World Podcast. Hello and welcome to the History of China.
Starting point is 00:00:49 Episode 242, Strange Tales 7. We often think of the supernatural as being necessarily frightening, dangerous, or uncanny experiences. Wants to be avoided, run from, or ghost busted, as the situation calls for. But this is not always the case. The ghost isn't always trying to come out of your TV and scare you to death. And the face spirits often as not just want to be free to live their lives as they see fit. Today then, we present four such tales. Stories of the strange and supernatural, to be sure,
Starting point is 00:01:25 but not necessarily of suspense or scariness. So sit back, relax, and let's get into the gentler side of the other side. Our first story comes from the high wizard of weirdness himself, Pu Songling. It's about a boy, and the ghost who loved him. 20 Years a Dream Young Yue went to live on the banks of the Si River, in a studio out in the wilds. There were numerous old graves just beyond the wall of his property. At night, he could hear the wind sowing in the poplars, like the sound of surging waves. He sat up late one evening beside his lamp, and was beginning to feel very lonely and forlorn,
Starting point is 00:02:13 when he heard a voice outside, chanting some lines of verse. In the dark night the cool wind blows where it will. Fireflies alight on the grass. They settle on my gown. Over and over again, he heard the same plaintive, melancholy lines chanted by a delicate woman's voice. The sound intrigued him greatly. The following day, he searched outside, but could find no trace of the singer except for a length of purple ribbon caught in the brambles,
Starting point is 00:02:44 which he took back with him and placed on the windowsill. Towards the middle of the second watch of that night, the chanting began again. He moved his stool across to the window, climbed onto it, and looked out. The sound ceased immediately. He now knew for sure that this must be the chanting of a ghost. He felt himself strangely drawn to it. The following night, he crouched inside the outer wall of the compound and lay in wait for the ghost. Toward the end of the first watch, he saw a young woman come walking, almost gliding, out of the tall grass,
Starting point is 00:03:24 leaning on the trees for support as she came, head bowed, chanting her melancholy dirge. Young gave a faint cough, and she vanished at once into the tall grass. He continued to wait for her, and presently she reappeared. When her chanting was finished, Young replied through the intervening wall, Who, alas, can know your heart's secret sorrow, as you stand at moonrise in your cold turquoise sleeves? A long silence ensued, after which Yang retired to his room. He had been sitting there for a while when a beautiful young lady entered, and, with a little shake of her sleeves, addressed him.
Starting point is 00:04:07 You are indeed a gentleman of such refinement and cultivation, sir. It is a shame that I have shunned your company for so long. Young helped her to a chair, scarcely able to contain his joy. She seemed so frail and trembled, as if her body could barely support the weight of her own clothes. Where are you from? he asked. Have you been long in these parts? I am from the west, from the province of Gansu, she replied. I followed my father here on his travels. When I was seventeen, I was taken with a sudden illness and died.
Starting point is 00:04:47 That was twenty years ago or more. Since then, I have haunted this desolate spot, lonely as a wild bird separated from its flock. The lines I was chanting, I wrote myself, to give expression to my innermost feelings of grief. I have never been able to find lines to match them. You have completed the poem for me and brought me joy in the grave. Young wished to make love to her without further ado, but she would not.
Starting point is 00:05:15 I am a creature of the night, she said, a slight frown crossing her brow. My dead bones are not like those of a living body. If we were to make love, it would be an inauspicious union. It would only bring you an early death, and I could not bear to cause you harm. So Yang held back, merely toying with her breasts, which were as virginal and soft to the touch as freshly peeled lotus kernels.
Starting point is 00:05:42 When he asked to see her little bound feet, her lotus hooks, the tiny tips of which beckoned him from beneath her skirt, she lowered her head and gave a little laugh. You're in a bit of a hurry, aren't you? Yang took her feet in his hands and caressed them, and as he did, he noticed that one of her pale green silk stockings was fastened with a purple ribbon, while the other was tied with colored thread. Where is your other ribbon? he asked. The other night you frightened me, and I ran away. I must have dropped it somewhere.
Starting point is 00:06:15 Allow me to replace it for you, said Yang. He took the ribbon from where he had kept it on his windowsill and handed it to her. She was curious to know where he had kept it on his windowsill and handed it to her. She was curious to know where he had found it, and he told her while she undid the colored thread and in its place tied the ribbon around her stocking. She started browsing through the books on his desk and came across Yuan Jun's famous ballad, The Lianchang Palace. When I was alive, this was one of my favorite poems, she said, heaving a sigh. I feel as if this is all a dream. They talked about their favorite works of literature together, and he found her remarks
Starting point is 00:06:51 both perceptive and endearing. They trimmed the lamp at the west window, talking into the night like newfound bosom friends. And from then, the faint sound of chanting would announce her arrival every evening. Never mention me to any of your friends, she enjoined him. I have always been timid by nature, and am nervous of being roughly treated. Yong gave her his word, and they were as happy together as two fish sporting in the water. They never made love, but were happier and more intimate than many a married couple. She would often copy out their favorite works for him by lamplit in her neat, elegant calligraphy, and she even compiled her own selection of one hundred poems on courtly themes, copying them out and reciting them for him.
Starting point is 00:07:38 She asked him to set out the go-board and to buy a piba mandolin, and every evening she would teach him go-moves or play him a new air on a piba mandolin, and every evening she would teach him go moves or play him a new air on the piba. She played rain dripping on the plantains by the window, but he found it unbearably melancholy, so she played him aureole singing in the garden at dawn instead, which put him in a more cheerful mood. Thus they pleasantly whiled away the hours together well into the night and quite forgot the coming dawn. But the moment she saw first light at the window, she hurried away. One day, a friend of Yang's by the name of Shui came to call and found him still asleep in bed. Shui was intrigued to see the piba and the go-board in Yang's room, since to his knowledge, his friend had never been fond of either. He started idly leafing through the books and papers on his desk,
Starting point is 00:08:26 and came across a handwritten scroll of poems on courtly themes, neatly written out in little characters. This intrigued him even more. When Yang awoke, Shui asked him, Where do all these new hobbies of yours spring from? Oh, I thought I'd try turning my hand to something new, replied Yang, somewhat unconvincingly. Shui went on to inquire about the poems, which Yang pretended to have borrowed from a friend.
Starting point is 00:08:53 Shui continued to glance through them until he came to the very end, where he saw in minuscule characters the inscription, "'Written this by Lockett.'" He laughed. Lockett? Why, that's a lady's name. You can't fool me. Yang seemed most put out and quite at a loss for words. Shui kept plying him with questions, but his friend refused to give away his secret, until finally, when Xuan made as if to walk off with the scroll under his arm,
Starting point is 00:09:25 Yang gave in and told him the truth. Xue begged to see this mysterious lady friend of his at once, and when Yang told him that he had given her his word never to mention her existence to his soul, he only pleaded them more insistently. In the end, Yang could hold out no longer and agreed to arrange a meeting between them. That night, when she came, he told her what he had done, and she reproached him angrily. Did I not make you promise, and you have to go gossiping like this? He told her how it happened. It's all over between us, she cried. Our destiny has run its course.
Starting point is 00:10:03 His entreaties were of no avail, and she rose to leave, saying, I shall have to stay away for a while. The following day, when Shui called, Yang was obliged to tell him that the meeting could no longer take place. Shui suspected that he was being fobbed off and came back again that night with two of his friends. They stayed and stayed and showed no signs of wanting to leave, making quite a nuisance of themselves and creating a great din into the early hours.
Starting point is 00:10:31 Young was most put off by their behavior, but could do nothing to stop it. This continued for several nights, until eventually, since there was still no sign of Lockett, the men gradually began to lose interest, and their antics became more subdued. Then, one night, they were about to leave for good when they heard a faint chanting outside, a beautiful sound of indescribable melancholy. Shui inclined his ear to listen, enraptured.
Starting point is 00:11:01 One of his friends, by the name of Wang, a boorish fellow and something of a dab hand at the martial arts, picked up a large rock and hurled it through the window. Stop putting on such highfalutin airs, he shouted. Come out and show your face, or shut up. No one's interested in your dreary verses. That fancy wailing bores us to death. The chanting ceased abruptly. The others reproached Wong, and Yang was extremely upset with them all and expressed his displeasure in no uncertain terms. The following morning, they finally took their leave of him,
Starting point is 00:11:38 but that night, he slept alone in his studio, hoping against hope that his lady friend would return. But there was no sign of her. History isn't black and white, yet too often it's presented as such. Grey History, The French Revolution is a long-form history podcast dedicated to exploring the ambiguities and nuances of the past. By contrasting both the experiences of contemporaries and the conclusions of historians, grey history dives into the detail
Starting point is 00:12:10 and unpacks one of the most important and disputed events in human history. From a revolution based on hope and liberty to its descent into the infamous reign of terror, there's plenty to discuss and plenty of grey to explore. One can't understand the modern world without understanding the French Revolution. So if you're looking for your next long-form, binge-worthy history podcast, one recommended by universities and loved by enthusiasts,
Starting point is 00:12:42 then check out Grey History, The French Revolution today. Or simply search for The French Revolution. And then, two days later, she appeared. How could you invite all those nasty friends of yours? She sobbed. You just about frightened the wits out of me. Young offered her an abject apology, but she was inconsolable. I meant it when I said it was all over between us.
Starting point is 00:13:09 Farewell. She hurried out, and even as he reached out for her, she had vanished. For more than a month, she did not come again. Young pined for her, wasting away to skin and bone, but what he had done could not be undone. And then, one evening, he was drinking alone, when to his great joy, she parted the door blind and walked in. Have you forgiven me?
Starting point is 00:13:37 She wept and hung her head in silence, while he kept repeating the question. It was as if she wanted to say something in reply, but could not bring herself to do so. Finally, she spoke. I walked out on you in such a temper, and yet here I am, back again, begging you for a favor.
Starting point is 00:13:57 I feel so ashamed of myself. Yang pressed her to tell him more. It has all happened so suddenly. A vile monster is bullying me into being his concubine. I come from a good family. How could I possibly stoop so low as to marry the ghost of a base-born slave? But I am too weak to resist him. I beg you to come to my rescue if you still think of me as your wife.
Starting point is 00:14:24 I know that I can count on you. Young was filled with angry indignation at her plight, and offered at once to lay down his very life for her sake if need be. His only concern was that he would be unable to cross the gulf between the living and the dead. Tomorrow night you must go to sleep early, she said. I will come to fetch you in your dreams. They sat up together talking till dawn, and as she left, she told him not to sleep during the following day and to be ready for their meeting in the evening.
Starting point is 00:14:56 Yang promised to do as she said. Late that afternoon, he had a little to drink, climbed into his bed a trifle tipsy, and lay down fully clothed as he was. The next instant, he saw her enter. She handed him a sword and led him into a building. They had closed the door and were talking together when they heard the sound of someone smashing the door down with a stone. He's coming, she cried in a fearful voice. My enemy is coming. Throwing open the door and rushing out,
Starting point is 00:15:30 Yang saw before him a man with bristling mustaches, wearing a red hat and a black gown. He reproached him angrily for his behavior, and the man replied with a hostile glare and a torrent of abuse, whereupon Yang rushed him in a mighty rage. The fellow with the mustaches picked up a handful of stones and hurled them in a shower at Yang, striking him on his wrist so that he could no longer hold his sword. At this critical juncture, Yang saw a figure in the distance,
Starting point is 00:15:54 a man with a bow and arrow slung around his waist, setting off on a hunting expedition. Looking more carefully, he recognized him as his friend, Wang, the martial arts enthusiast, and yelled to him for help. Wong strung his bow and came running towards him, letting loose one arrow that struck the red-hatted fellow in the thigh and another that killed him outright. Yang thanked his friend profusely for his timely intervention, and Wong, having ascertained the details of the situation, was glad to have done something to atone for his earlier boorishness. He accompanied Yong into the young lady's room. She stood there, trembling and bashful,
Starting point is 00:16:33 keeping her distance and not saying a word. On the table in front of her lay a little dagger, about a foot or so long. The blade was inlaid with gold and jade, and it shone brilliantly in its case. Wong held it in his hand. He was ecstatic in its praise and loathed to put it down. He chatted a little longer with his friend Young, but seeing the young lady still standing there so timid and bashful, he presently said goodbye and took his leave.
Starting point is 00:16:59 Young also made his way home and was climbing over the wall into the compound when he stumbled and awoke with a start from his dream. The village roosters were already crowing. His wrist felt very painful, and by the light of dawn he could see that the skin was all red and swollen. A little later that day, his friend Wang came to call on him and mentioned to Yang that he had dreamed a strange dream. Did you by any chance dream of shooting an arrow? asked Yang. Wang was amazed that his friend should have known,
Starting point is 00:17:32 and Yang showed him his bruised wrist and recounted his own dream. Wang, for his part, was still haunted by the beauty of the lady he had seen in his dream, his one regret being that it had not been a real encounter. He was pleased that he had been able to render some service to Yang's mysterious friend, and asked Yang to put in a word with her on his behalf. That night, she came to give thanks, and Yang gave all the credit for her rescue to Wang, at the same time conveying to her his friend's earnest desire to make her acquaintance. Such kindness should not be forgotten, she said, but he is such a big fellow.
Starting point is 00:18:08 He does rather scare me, she continued. He seems to take a liking to that dagger of mine. My father bought it for a hundred tails of silver when he was in Canton, and I have always been fond of it. I had the handle bound with gold thread and set with pearls. My father was so saddened by my early death that he had it buried in the ground with me. I would like to give it to your friend as a memento. The next day, Yang passed this message on to Wang, who was overjoyed.
Starting point is 00:18:37 And that very evening, she came with the dagger. Tell your friend to treasure it. It is not Chinese. It comes from a foreign land. From that day forth, she and Yang continued to see each other as before. Several months passed by, and one evening they were sitting in the lamplight, when suddenly she smiled at Yang as if there was something on her mind. She blushed and hesitated three times.
Starting point is 00:19:08 Young took her in his arms and asked her what was troubling her. You have given me so much affection, she began. I have received from you the breath of the living. I have eaten your food. All of a sudden my blanched bones seem to feel life stirring in them once more. But I need the seed and blood of a living man if I am to be truly born again. Young laughed. But it was you who always said no.
Starting point is 00:19:34 When have I ever denied you? After we make love, she said, you will be gravely ill for three weeks, but with the right medicine, you can be cured. They made love, and afterwards, she dressed herself and rose to her feet. I still need a little human blood. Can you bear the pain for love's sake? Yang took a sharp knife and cut his arm, while she lay down on the bed and let the blood drip onto her navel. Then she stood up. I will not come again. Remember carefully what I am about to say. Count a hundred days from today
Starting point is 00:20:12 and go to my grave. You will see a blackbird singing in a tree. That is where you will find the grave. You must open it up. Young noted this all carefully, and as she walked out through the doorway, she said to him, Be neither a day early nor a day late. You must come on that exact day. Be sure not to forget. And so she left. Ten days or so later, Young fell gravely ill, his stomach becoming so swollen that he seemed close to death. A doctor gave him a remedy, which purged him of some vile stuff that resembled mud, and after another twelve days he had recovered. On the hundredth day after Lockett's departure, he duly made his way to the grave, sending one of his servants ahead with a shovel.
Starting point is 00:21:02 As evening drew on, he saw two blackbirds in a tree. We can begin, he ordered joyfully. They hacked away at the undergrowth and opened up the grave. The coffin boards had already rotted away, but the lady's body within the coffin was uncorrupted and still slightly warm to the touch. He wrapped her in a shroud and carried her home, laying her in a warm place. Her breathing was faint, tenuous like fine threads of silk. He fed her small portions of nourishing broth, and by midnight she was fully revived. She always said to him afterwards,
Starting point is 00:21:51 Those twenty years were like a dream. In all human history, there are few stories like that of ancient Egypt. On the banks of the Nile, these people created one of the most enduring and significant cultures. Their tale comes to life in the History of Egypt podcast. Every week, we explore the tales of this amazing culture, from the legendary days of creation and the gods, all the way to Cleopatra, and everything in between. The History of Egypt podcast is written and produced by a trained Egyptologist. We go much deeper than your average documentary or magazine article to uncover tales of life, great endeavors, and the amazing arc of a mighty kingdom. The History of Egypt podcast is available on all podcasting platforms, apps, and websites. Come, visit ancient Egypt and experience a legendary culture. Our next tale concerns those tricksters of Chinese lore,
Starting point is 00:22:56 the hu li jing, or fox spirits. Immortal shapeshifters, they tend to get a bad rap. But they're not always looking to cause trouble. In this story, one such fox converses with her lover on the ephemeral nature of existence, and how she's not the only one who conjures illusions to make her way in the world. A Fox Spirit Takes Off the Mask Wu Sheng from Ningbo loved women and all the shapes and sizes of them. But there was one that he was particularly drawn to until something sprang up between them,
Starting point is 00:23:28 something deeper than the fitting together of bodies. Still, Wu Sheng was loath to commit. When he told his regular lover about his reservations, she said, I did not tell you this, but I am not an ordinary woman. I am a hu li jing. I am therefore untethered to a single form. I can imitate anybody and anything after just one meeting.
Starting point is 00:24:01 My doubling is so precise that even if my model were in the same room, you could not tell us apart. Isn't this a much better deal than buying someone's smile for a night? Wuxiang agreed that it was. So he tested the Hu Lijing's claim by giving her the name of a former lover with whom she was familiar. Just like that, the form of the former lover, no different from the real one, not by texture or taste or sight or quality of voice, stood before him. At first, Wuxiang was very happy with this new situation, but soon he began to worry.
Starting point is 00:24:34 He could not detect any difference between the copy and the original, yet he felt that something undetectable but essential was missing from the Hu Li Jing's disguise. A final degree of satisfaction eluded him, close but ever out of reach. Wuxiang said to the Hu Li Jing, You've played many different roles for me. I'm grateful. But in the end, they've all been illusions, haven't they? Therefore, I can't help but feel that I'm missing out on something real.' "'That's a fine distinction that you're making,' said the Huli Jing.
Starting point is 00:25:10 "'A valid one, perhaps. But you misidentify why my mimicry seems off. "'It's because you didn't see these women to begin with. "'You mistook the projections of your mind for the women themselves. The pale bark of poplar trees, the grasses green, the gold of the fields, the high jade mountains. You see all of this through the frames of your peculiar senses and prejudices. Through your memories and associations, your misattributions of eternity. Half of it is story, the other half barely observed. You strike flint, hoping it'll light all your tomorrows. You seek a final color in the world's temporary ones, an eternal elation in an hour of pleasure. This is your mistake. What's worse? What informs your delusions are
Starting point is 00:26:01 further delusions. The stories of great beauties and love affairs in history that provide your measuring stick are fabrications too. Exaggerations, fictions, and mistellings. Here is the truth. There are lovely times to be had, yes, of people enjoying one another's bodies. There are times of dancing and singing, but in a clap, it's over.
Starting point is 00:26:27 Most of the names are forgotten. The days, too. The houses become dark. Funeral jade is buried alongside rotting bodies. All this happens quicker than you think. The length of time it takes an arm to stretch out and draw back as if burnt by flame. No matter how certain the convictions, there always comes a time for people to part. Regardless of whether it's after years or minutes, it's always the same. A hand holds yours at the edge of a cliff. Your hands let go. You jump. After that, it's all empty.
Starting point is 00:27:03 The fervent kissing and lovemaking seem like a feverish spring dream Even if couples manage to spend their whole lives together They also clutch to illusion They see each other how they looked when they were young Even while the gray hair climbs up the bodies and the flesh sags Even what they saw when they first met The good-looking black eyebrows, the pink cheeks, they were illusions in their way too. So, Wusheng, I say this to you.
Starting point is 00:27:35 Why is it that the only illusion that you have a problem with is the one that I created? The Hulijing's words profoundly affected Wu Sheng. Even after she left him years later, he never returned to his libertine ways. Our third tale today also deals with fox spirits. This one, however, shows their other side. Though they can be gentle and caring when they so choose, to get on their bad side is to court disaster of the swift and merciless variety. The Fire That Burst Into Flames, Far From Where It Was Set Just like ordinary foxes, the shapechangers, known as hu li jing,
Starting point is 00:28:23 like to build their underground lairs in abandoned cemeteries. My friend, Fa Nanye, told me about one such lair that used to exist in an old cemetery a few miles outside his home village. Over the years, villagers had spied naked women loping through the woods at night near the cemetery. Eventually, another pack, this one of obnoxious young troublemakers, heard the rumors. One evening, just as it was turning dark, they crawled up to the foxholes with their fists full of nets and hooks. Soon, they caught two foxes. Hooting and hollering, the young men threw the animals against the ground and jabbed large needles threaded with cord into
Starting point is 00:29:04 their haunches. Thus each fox was fitted with bloody loops, the other end of which the leader of the young men wrapped around his fists. The leader showed the captured foxes his waist knife and said, Here are my terms. Change to your human forms and amuse us. Dance. Serve us moonshine. Do all the other things that we command. If you do this enough, we might let you live. If you refuse, we'll stab you to death right now. Instead of changing, the foxes gazed at the men with wild eyes and carried on, moaning, snapping, and thrashing about, as if nothing more than dumb animals.
Starting point is 00:29:44 Enraged, the leader grabbed a fox by the snout and stabbed it through the throat. This broke the spirit of the remaining fox. Giving up her pretense, a trembling human voice came through her still whole throat. You ask me to change, but if I do, I'll be without fur or clothing. Please don't make me humiliate myself like that. But her plea only made the young men more eager, and the leader pushed his knife beneath the fox's chin. It was then that she finally changed to the form of a young woman. The men responded with cries of celebration and
Starting point is 00:30:17 forced her to amuse them one after the other while holding the cord tightly in hand. Afterwards, they rested on the ground and told her to serve them moonshine. The fox woman said she could not. It was impossible to move about with a leather loop running through her leg. Since she seemed too beat up to flee, the young men agreed to pull out the cord. However, the instant it was gone, she sprang away and darted into the woods, too fast to follow. It was not far from their homes when the young men saw the smoke. Plumes of it billowed from their village.
Starting point is 00:30:53 From that direction, too, came the glow of fire. They started running, but it was too late. Each of their houses had burnt to the ground, any former occupants now standing outside in their bedclothes. The only exception was the leader of the young men. What happened to his household was much worse. Not only had his house burned to ash, so had his daughter inside. It was then, in the midst of his grief and horror, that the leader understood the nature of Fox justice. It was a terrible and merciless rhyme. Our fourth and final story takes us back to the ghostly. A young man falls asleep in an old, abandoned ruin, only to find that he's become the temporary guest of its very chatty former owner.
Starting point is 00:31:42 But far from having any pressing unfinished business, it turns out that the old fellow is dead and loving it. Yellow Leaf Early autumn in Jianhe County is beautiful. The air is warm and cool, the trees blaze with vibrant colors, and there is a lake in the area that is a lovely place to visit. These charms brought Wang Kunxia, a Taoist priest of my acquaintance, to hike there one morning and stray from the popular path
Starting point is 00:32:10 to explore the far side of the lake. A few hours into Kunxia's walk, the woods gave way to a bamboo grove and then to the remnants of an orchard and an abandoned mansion. Excited, he exhausted himself exploring his discovery and decided to take a nap in the mansion's overgrown garden. Except Kunxia didn't quite fall asleep.
Starting point is 00:32:34 When one sleeps in the usual way, one's spirit is no longer bound to fixed forms or the laws of time and space. Then, imagination and reality and dreams and spiritual experiences freely mingle. Sleeping and waking are thus distinct ways of being. But sometimes, a person will get stuck between realms. This is what happened to Kun Xia. He was limited by the laws of the physical world and still tethered to his physical body, yet he could perceive the spirit world.
Starting point is 00:33:06 So it was that his spirit looked up from his resting physical form to see a ghost dressed in old-fashioned powder blue robes, bowing with his hands intertwined in front of Kun Xia. When the ghost saw that Kun Xia saw him, he smiled. Welcome, he said. It has been many years since I had a visitor and decades since anyone has actually slept here. I am delighted to find you, which is to say, please don't fear me. Kunsha relaxed the man's words, although he was sure the man was a ghost, and asked him where he was from. My family name is Zhang, the ghost said. Originally, I come from Lei Yang, but I moved here during the Yuan Dynasty.
Starting point is 00:33:53 When I died, I decided to stay rather than returning home, because this land and I are well-suited to one another. We've been a good match for a long time, long enough for the lake to grow larger and smaller again, and for the garden to have over a dozen different owners, and none, and finally to be forgotten by all. Isn't it rare for someone to remain a ghost for so long? asked Kunxia.
Starting point is 00:34:20 I thought most spirits move on to be reborn. The ghost nodded. True. Many spirits feel out of sorts if they remain this near to the earthly plane without occupying matter themselves. This is not my sentiment, though. Whether dead or alive, one remains oneself. A living person can see mountains, rivers, forests, the moon, and other sights. So too can a ghost. A living person can lay on a hillside at night to be clarified by the
Starting point is 00:34:56 immensity of the stars and then write a poem. So too a ghost. Therefore, in no way is a ghost inferior. Indeed, there are many secluded places in the mortal realm, too isolated or dangerous, too deep or too high for human to venture. In these, ghosts, however, can wander and witness in the silence of the night and the dawn. The only things we ghosts lack is the ability to touch what we see, or to keep a souvenir from our adventures.
Starting point is 00:35:32 This inability disturbs those who cling to life, because they cannot imagine no longer being able to embrace a lover or a child, or to drink wine or eat fruit. Such a person, upon entering the nether world, feels unbearably lonely and impotent, like a high official sent back to his home village after losing office. But there are people who have always lived in the countryside. There are people who have never held rank. There are people in the world who have remained unattached to family or friends for their whole life, people who sit silently while others chat and drink. They need no company. They are content to dig their own wells and plow their own lands. They find nothing to feel sad
Starting point is 00:36:20 about. Even if you feel that way, the cycle of death and rebirth is part of the deep design. How did you escape it? asked Kun Xia. By realizing the greatest secret. Everything is a choice. Whether you're talking about a ghost avoiding rebirth, or a person declining a position, all of it is a choice. Once you understand this, you are free. After the ghost finished speaking, both he and Kunsha were quiet for a time, each lost in their own thoughts. Then Kunsha said, One who is as fond of sightseeing as you must have composed a lot of poems. I chant a line or two when in the mood, said the ghost, but I seldom complete a poem. I find myself forgetting them almost as soon as I compose them.
Starting point is 00:37:16 Consequently, there are only four or five poems that I've written that I can remember. Kunsha's eyes flickered with interest, and so the ghost recited, The fading sunlight leaves the mountain empty. Chant this while all goes dark and vast again. There is no inside. There is no outside. When the ghost finished his stanza, Kunxia cried out in admiration
Starting point is 00:37:44 and implored him to recite more. Flattered, the ghost finished his stanza, Kunxia cried out in admiration and implored him to recite more. Flattered, the ghost agreed, but he just managed to utter the phrase, Yellow leaf, when a loud noise from the side of the lake awakened Kunxia. Sitting up, he looked at the lake and saw some fishermen yelling greetings to one another as they pulled creatures from the water. The Civil War and Reconstruction was a pivotal era in American history. When a war was fought to save the Union and to free the slaves. And when the work to rebuild the nation after that war was over turned into a struggle to guarantee liberty and justice for all Americans. I'm Tracy.
Starting point is 00:38:41 And I'm Rich. And we want to invite you to join us as we take an in-depth look at this pivotal era in American history look for the Civil War and Reconstruction wherever you find your podcasts

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