The History of China - #278 - Strange Tales IX.2: To Mortal Strife

Episode Date: October 25, 2024

A hefty second helping of weird, whimsical, wondrous, and wicked tales of the supernatural from the Zhou, Han, Liu Song, Yuan, and Qing Dynasties, for evenings when leaves quake from branches & the walls between the worlds grows thin. 0:00:00 - "Finishing Jiao's Poem" By: The One Within the Mound (Tr. Larry Hammer & Chris Stewart). 0:02:51 - "The Taoist Monk" Liaozhai Zhiyi, vol. 3. 0:09:57 - "A Report From the Qin Imperial Envoy At Xicheng, Gan Zong" Baopuzi. 0:11:33 - "The Ghoul" Shuyiji. 0:14:23 - "The Devil's Advocate" Liaozhai zhiyi, vol. 3. 0:21:57 - "REPORT: Flock of Bears Goes Rogue" Xu Yijian zhi. 0:23:13 - "The Face-Stealer" Shuyiji. 0:26:39 - "Manfox/Foxman" Liaozhai zhiyi, vol. 10. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're listening to an Airwave Media Podcast. 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. 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. Hello and welcome to the History of China. Episode 278, Strange Tales 9.2, Two Mortal Strife Zhao of Zheng was a scholar from Hubei. While traveling between the states of Chen and Cai, he passed a burial mound upon which there were two bamboo poles, brightly green and lovely. He began to recite a poem.

Zhong shang liang gan zhu, feng chui chang niao niao. Upon this tomb, bamboo poles bend, blown air gracefully by the wind. Yet, after two lines, he found he could not recall the rest. All of a sudden, from within the barrow mound itself came an unearthly voice, completing the couplets. Jiao was frightened and meekly called out to ask who was there. But there was no reply. Finishing Jiao's poem by The One Within the Mound Translated by Larry Hammer

It's that time of year again. I know, I know, we already had the Fox episode, but I just couldn't help myself. This past year, I've actually dug up a number of books of strange Chinese supernatural fiction that I'd never actually seen before. These include the later editions of Pu Songling's Strange Tales. Instead of the abridged version most common in English, you can actually get almost all 500 stories legally and for free with Kindle Unlimited. And that's not some paid spot, by the way. It's just a valuable service. But wait, there's more. The poem that I just opened with comes from the Quantangshi, or the Complete Tang Book of Poems. We've also got a couple of extremely old and thus short spooky tales from the Bao Pu Zi of the 3rd century CE, and the Shu Yi Ji from the 13th century under the Yuan Dynasty.

And so, sit back, get comfortable, and prepare to get spooked. In this first story, we will meet a monk who is something more than he first seems. The Taoist Monk Hansheng was a young man from a wealthy family who was very hospitable. There was a man named Shu in the same village who often came to his house for drinks. One day, while Hansheng was hosting guests, a Taoist monk came to his house for drinks. One day, while Han Sheng was hosting guests, a Taoist monk came to the door seeking alms. The family tried to offer him money or grains in a bowl,

but the Taoist refused to accept and refused to leave. The family, angered by his persistence, turned away from him. Han Sheng, hearing the continuous sound of the bowl being struck, asked the family what was going on, then they told him about the situation. Before they could finish speaking, the Taoist entered the door. Han Sheng invited him to take a seat, and after exchanging greetings with the guests,

the Taoist sat down. After chatting with him for a while, Han Sheng learned that the Taoist had just arrived and settled in an abandoned temple to the east of the village. Hansheng said, Master, when did you come to reside in the Taoist temple to the east of the village? I didn't hear about it. I really haven't fulfilled the duties of a landlord. The Taoist replied, I am a wandering hermit, just arrived in then invited the Taoist to drink.

The Taoist had a good capacity for alcohol and drank heartily. Xu, seeing the Taoist's dirty and tattered robe, treated him disrespectfully, and Han Sheng also regarded the Taoist as just another wandering guest. After drinking more than 20 cups, the Taoist took his leave. From then on, whenever there was a banquet at Han's house, the Taoist would come, eat, and drink.

Han Sheng became somewhat tired of his frequent visits. One day, while drinking, Xu mocked, Master Taoist, you're a guest every day. Don't you want to be the host for once? The Taoist laughed and said, a Taoist and a gentleman like you are both just mouths on two shoulders. Shu was ashamed and speechless. The Taoist said, although that's what I said, I have long harbored the intention to repay everyone's kindness, and I will definitely prepare some thin wine as a token of gratitude when the time comes. After finishing the wine, the Taoist instructed, Tomorrow, at noon, I beg for everyone's presence at my humble abode. The next day, Han and Shu were invited to the dilapidated temple for a feast,

both suspecting whether or not the Taoist would set up a banquet. As they walked toward the temple, the Taoist was already waiting for them along the way, and the three of them talked as they walked, unknowingly arriving at the temple gate. Upon entering, they saw that the courtyard was completely renovated, with buildings extending as far as the eye could see. Both were amazed and asked,

We haven't been here for a long time. When were these buildings constructed? The Taoist replied, They were just completed recently. Upon entering the main hall, they found the furnishings even more magnificent, surpassing those of aristocratic families. Both couldn't help but show their respect.

Just as they sat down, dishes and wine were served by boys and girls, all of whom were around 16 years old and dressed in splendid long robes and crimson satin shoes. The food was fragrant and sumptuous. After the meal, desserts were served, most of which were exotic fruits whose names they couldn't even recall, displayed on crystal and jade platters that illuminated the table. Wine was poured into glass cups, each over a foot thick. The Taoist then instructed the boys and girls,

After a short while, two beautiful women entered, one tall and slender like a delicate willow, the other shorter and younger, both exceedingly charming and incomparable. The Taoist asked them to sing to enliven the atmosphere. The younger one clapped and sang, while the older one played the flute to accompany, their voices soft and clear. After a song, the Taoist raised his glass to toast and asked the two women to pour wine for the guests. He then looked at them and asked,

It's been a long time since the beauties danced. Can you still dance? Several servants came forward and laid carpets in front of the table. The two women danced facing each other, their long sleeves fluttering, spreading fragments all around. After the dance, they leaned against the screen. Shu and Han were intoxicated and lost in admiration without realizing it.

The Taoist no longer attended to the guests, downed his glass, and stood up to say, Please help yourselves to the wine. I'll take a short break and be back soon. With that, he left. There was a bed under the southern wall with shells embedded in the wood,

and the two women spread silk quilts over it, helping the Taoist fly down. The Taoist pulled the older woman, lay down with her, and asked the younger one to scratch his itch while standing beside the bed. Xu and Han saw this and were extremely displeased. Shu shouted, Taoist! This is unacceptable! wanting to stop him.

But the Taoist hurriedly got up and fled. Shu saw the younger woman still standing by the bed, so he took her to the bed on the north side and laid down with her openly. Looking at the woman sleeping on the south bed, Han said to himself, why be too conservative, and went straight to the south bed. He wanted to get close to the woman, but she was already asleep and couldn't be moved. Han ended up embracing her from behind and fell asleep. When daylight came, Han woke up from his drunken stupor and dream, feeling a cold, icy object in his arms.

Upon inspection, he found himself looking at a long stone lying under the steps. He hurriedly looked at Shu, who was still asleep, resting his head on a stone from the pit toilet, snoring loudly in the dilapidated restroom. Han kicked him awake, and both were extremely panicked. Looking around, they saw only a courtyard overgrown with weeds and two dilapidated temples. From the Liao Zai Zhe Yi, Volume 3 Huh. Weird. Volume 3. Huh. Weird. Well, anyways, I appear to be being handed a late-breaking bulletin.

It reads, A report from the Qin Imperial Envoy at Xicheng, Ganzong. In foreign lands, there are people who can summon deities by incantations. Approaching a river, adopting the Yu Walk, and blowing, they can cause a dragon to appear. On first emerging, it would be several tens of Zhang in length. But when the scholar blew again, it would shrink, reaching only several tun, at which he would put it in a flask, feeding it with a little water. Foreign realms often suffer from severe drought, and when the scholar hears of a place with such a drought, he will send the dragon,

taking it out to sell. One dragon is worth several caddies of gold. The entire realm will gather to see it, and in one place, he will open the pot and release the dragon. Placed in a deep pool, once the yu-wok and blowing has been performed, it will grow to several zhang. In a moment, rain will gather from the four directions. From the Baopu-zi The loss of a family member is always a time of both grieving and ritual. The final goodbyes and services take place across time and cultures. How better, after all, to honor those that we love that have passed beyond than by giving such a loving farewell.

But be cautious, because there are some things out there that might decide to crash a funeral. And with more than just crackers and cheese on its menu. The Ghoul In the first year of the Liu Song Yuanjia era, 424 CE, Chu Jingzhi, who was from a Nankang County barracks household, boarded a boat with his son to travel upstream from the county. Treading deep into small streams, they reached wild and difficult territory where humans had never before set foot.

In the evening, they climbed the bank and found a place to spend the night, but Jingzhi suffered a sudden illness and died. His son kindled a fire and guarded the body. Suddenly, he heard the distant sound of a voice calling out, Uncle! The filial son was suspicious and alarmed, but in the blink of an eye, the shouting person was right there. About as tall as a human, it was covered in hair right down to its feet,

and a great deal of hair covered its face, leaving the seven apertures quite invisible. It then asked the filial son his family and given names, and gave its condolences. The filial son was terrified, and assembled his firewood into a blaze. The thing told him that it had come to offer sympathy and that there was no reason to be afraid. He was about to feed the fire higher when the figure sat by the corpse's head and began to wail. When the boy stole a glance at it in the firelight, he noticed that the thing's face covered the dead man's, and that the corpse's was split open down to the very bone. The filial son was horrified and wanted to strike it, but had no stave or weapon. Before long, his father's corpse was reduced to a succession of white bones, the skin and flesh having vanished entirely.

He never worked out what kind of deity or spirit it was. From the Shu Yi Ji 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 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, then check out Grey History, The French Revolution today. Or simply search for The French Revolution. Imposter syndrome is a very common feeling in the modern workplace. We might, for instance, find ourselves unexpectedly thrust into a position that we're not sure we're quite ready for, and feel like a complete fraud who's about to be found out by everyone at any moment, even if we're actually doing nothing wrong.

Most of the time, it's a perfectly normal feeling of anxiety that is safely ignored until you fake it till you make it. But in this tale, the stakes and the temperature are really turned up. What would you do, after all, if you were suddenly summoned to be the devil's advocate. Li Boyan, a scholar from Yishui, was known for his integrity and courage. One day, he suddenly fell seriously ill, and his family wanted to give him medicine.

But Li Boyan stopped him, saying, My illness cannot be cured with medicine. There is a vacancy for the position of the king of hell in the underworld, and they want me to temporarily act as a proxy. That day, he indeed passed away. After Li Boyan's death, his spirit was led by a group of horse-mounted attendants into a palace. Someone presented him with royal attire. The imperial scribes stood solemnly on both sides. Li Boyan saw a thick stack of scrolls piled on the table and immediately began to hear cases. The first case involved a man from Jiangnan, who, upon investigation, had seduced 82 virtuous women throughout his life. When brought for questioning, the evidence was irrefutable.

According to the laws of the underworld, he was to undergo the punishment of being burnt on a bronze pillar. Below the main hall stood a bronze pillar about eight or nine feet high and as thick as a person's embrace. The middle of the pillar was hollow and the burning charcoal inside glowing red. A group of underworld soldiers used iron thorns to lash the man, forcing him to climb up the bronze pillar. With hands and feet wrapped around the pillar, he climbed upwards. As soon as he reached the top,

smoke billowed from inside the pillar, and with a loud bang, like a firecracker going off, the man fell down from the top in a curled-up position. After a while, he regained consciousness. The soldiers beat him again, forcing him to climb again, only to fall once more. This process repeated three times, until the man gradually burned into a black smoke, slowly dissipating, never to form a human shape again. In another case, the defendant turned out to be Wang, a relative of Li Boyan from the same county,

accused by the father of a maid for forcibly taking his biological daughter. It turned out that a man was selling a maid, and Wang, knowing that the maid's origins were dubious, still bought her due to the cheap price. Shortly after, Wang fell seriously ill and died. The next day, Wang's friend, Zhou Sheng, suddenly encountered him on the road. Knowing he was a ghost,

he was frightened and hurriedly ran back to his study, with Wang following him in. Zhou Sheng prayed in fear, asking him what he wanted. Wang said, I want to trouble you to testify for me in the underworld. Zhou Sheng asked in terror, What for? Wang said, My family's maid was clearly bought by me from someone else, but now the maid's father accuses me of forcibly taking her. You witnessed this with your own eyes,

so please go and speak for me. There's nothing else. Zhou Sheng firmly refused to go. Wang left, saying, This matter may not be up to you. Soon after, Zhou Sheng indeed died and went to the court of Yama for trial. When Li Boyan saw that the defendant was his relative Wang, he felt a desire to protect him. As soon as the thought arose, flames suddenly burst out of the main hall, burning fiercely toward the roof beams. Li Boyan was greatly alarmed and hastily stood up. A scribe quickly informed him, The underworld is different from the human world and cannot tolerate any personal thoughts. You must quickly dispel other

thoughts and the fire will extinguish itself. Li Boyan focused his mind and withdrew his personal thoughts. The flames disappeared in an instant, and he continued with the trial. Wang and the maid's father argued incessantly. Li Boyan then questioned Zhou Sheng, who testified truthfully. Li Boyan ruled that Zhou Sheng, who testified truthfully. Li Boyan ruled that Wang was guilty of knowingly committing the offense and should receive a flogging. After the punishment, they were sent back to the mortal realm. Both Zhou Sheng and Wang woke up three days later. After Li Boyan finished hearing the cases, he sat in the carriage and returned.

On the way, he saw a group of headless and footless ghosts numbering in the hundreds, kneeling on the ground, weeping. Li Boyan stopped the carriage and inquired about the reason. It turned out that these were all ghosts who had died in distant places and wanted to return to their homeland. However, they feared obstacles along the way, so they begged Yama for a pass. Li Boyan said, I have only served as a proxy for three days, and I have already resigned. How can I help you? The ghosts said, Who shunned from the village south is about to build a temple.

Please convey our request to him, and this matter can be resolved. Li Boyan agreed. After returning home, his attendants left, and Li Boyan woke up. Hu Sheng, whose courtesy name was Xue Xin, was a close friend of Li Boyan. When he heard that Li Boyan had come back to life, he came to visit. Li Boyan suddenly asked him, When are you going to build the temple? Husheng was surprised and said,

After the war, my wife and children were fortunately preserved. I have talked about this wish with my wife before, but I haven't told anyone else. How did you know? Li Boyan told him about the request of the ghosts in detail. Wuxiang sighed and said, I never thought that a word spoken in the bedroom would reach the underworld. It's truly terrifying. He respectfully agreed and left.

The next day, Li Boyan went to Wang's house. Wang was still lying exhausted. When he saw Li Boyan, he stood up respectfully and thanked him repeatedly for sheltering him. Li Boyan said, The underworld cannot show favoritism. Are your injuries getting better? Wang said, It's nothing serious. Just some areas are pus-filled from the beating. After more than twenty days, Wang finally recovered.

The rotten flesh on his buttocks had fallen off, leaving only scars resembling wounds from a stick. From the Liao Zai Zhe Yi, Volume 3 Why? What's this? It seems that we have yet another news report coming in. Hmm, let's see here. Report, Flock of Bears Goes Rogue At the beginning of a Guimao year, 1243,

several hundred thousand bears entered Xinanshan from Neixiang and Xia Shi. Advancing with wooden pegs in their mouths like troops marching in silence, they had already moved a great distance, their paws bleeding. Those who died weakened by fatigue were eaten by groups among the bears. Prefectures and counties wrote memorials recording this, and I saw them in Zhangde. From the Xuijianzhi How very odd. Hopefully that all works itself out.

Well, anyways, next we have a very unsettling story indeed. In China, enhancing or losing standing or reputation among one's peer group is frequently called gaining or losing face, and it's taken very seriously. As even today, for many people, one's reputation is the only real credit score that means anything. But if the idea of losing face sounds bad enough, it gets even worse when it stops being merely social and starts becoming literal. The Face Stealer Zhu Xinyan, the governor of Simen, reported from Pingyue that in the year of Wu's son,

a terrible demon wielding a strange magic rampaged across the entire provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou, stealing faces from people and even extending into Chu, Wu, and Xiang. As it wandered through the city crowds, it looked indistinguishable from anyone else in both clothes and speech. It could turn up in a bustling city market crowd or wander across the countryside, encountering the lone traveler. It would appear and disappear from time to time, and its comings and goings were unpredictable. It would ride a horse in military uniform, galloping over cliffs and ravines. It would turn into a droplet, drip from a leaking roof, and gradually grow larger, splitting into a human shape. When people passed it by, it would suddenly fall to the ground.

If they investigated, the demon would quickly devour the entire front of their head, face and all, leaving only the skull at the back of his head. The city, the countryside, and the mountains were remote, and the dark and secret rooms were often affected by this. Terror gripped the land, affecting officials and commoners alike. This shape-shifting evil lasted for nearly nine months, during the course of which thousands had their faces stolen. Both the city watches and the regular military were brought in to patrol at night, and families beat drums and rang gongs at sunset to warn of its coming.

Once, several of these demons carried large wooden barrels into the city, yet when soldiers surrounded them, they suddenly disappeared. They abandoned the barrels, which broke open when they fell to earth, spilling forth their ghastly contents. More than a hundred human faces pickled in lime. Some said that the faces were taken off to make offerings to the demon lords of the hells. Some said that these moliengui, the face-stealing demons, only appears during leap years, which are also strange things in the universe. From the Shuichi. Truly inexplicable.

We'll probably never really know what's up with that. Well, we have one final story today, and it harkens back to the theme of the previous Strange Tales installment. Yes, once again we're talking about those wily, mysteriously alluring, and deadly fey spirits of the wilds, oxes. In Chinese literature, the hu li jing is almost universally depicted as female. Though one is able to transform itself into any form it desires, their overall natural inclination is womanly.

No wonder, then, that doddering, decrepit old Confucian scholars repeated time and again just how evil and dangerous they were. But, in fact, not all foxes are female. At least one actually started off as a regular man. But, as with any bargain with the supernatural, be very, very careful what you wish for. You just might get exactly that. Man-Fox, Fox-Man In the city of Jinling lived a man who we'll just call Mr. X.

He made a living selling alcohol, and would often dilute his wine with water and add some narcotic substances to the wine. Even those who could hold their liquor would become dead drunk after just a few cups. As a result, his wine gained a good reputation akin to the ancient Zhongshan fine wine, and he became wealthy with assets worth tens of thousands of gold coins. One day, Mr. X woke up to find a drunken fox sleeping by the wine trough. He tied up the fox's limbs with a rope and was about to fetch a knife when the fox woke up. It pleaded,

Please don't kill me. Whatever you desire, I can fulfill it for you. Mr. X then untied the rope. The fox rolled on the ground and immediately transformed into a human. At that time, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Sun family on the same street was harassed by a fox spirit. Mr. X asked the fox about this matter, and it admitted, That was me.

Mr. X had seen the younger sister of the eldest daughter-in-law and thought she was more beautiful than her older sister. So he requested the fox spirit to take him along. Reluctantly, the fox spirit agreed. Arriving at a cave, the fox took out a brown garment and gave it to Mr. X, saying, This belonged to my deceased brother. Wear it, and you can come with me. Mr. X immediately put on the brown clothes and went home, but no one could see him.

It was only when he changed back into his usual clothes that his family could once again see him. Mr. X was overjoyed and went with the fox to the Sun family's house. There, they saw a huge talisman on the wall depicting a winding dragon. The fox, terrified, said, The mimic is too powerful. I won't go in. With that, it hurriedly fled. Mr. X cautiously approached

and saw that it was indeed a real dragon coiled on the wall, poised to take flight. Shocked and frightened, Mr. X quickly ran out. It turned out that the Sun family had brought in an outsider monk to exorcise evil spirits from their home. The monk had sent a painted talisman to be placed on the wall before his arrival. The next day, the monk arrived and set up an altar to perform rituals. Neighbors gathered to watch, and Mr. X was among them.

Suddenly, his face changed dramatically, and he dashed away as if being chased. He ran outside, fell to the ground, and immediately transformed into a fox, still wearing human clothes on its limbs. The monk intended to kill it, but Mr. X's wife pleaded desperately, bowing her head. The monk instructed Mr. X's wife to take the fox back home. She provided food and drink for it every day. But after a few months, it still died. From the Liao Zai Zhe Yi, Volume 10.

And so it is that this Mr. X would, much like this very episode, meet his ignominious end. I hope you enjoyed this second dose of October spookiness, or whichever time of the year, of whichever year, you happen to be listening. Until we meet again,

remember, keep your talismans close, don't feed the Mogwai after midnight, and if a Jiangshi comes scratching at your door in the middle of the night, that means it's cold and needs to be let inside. Have a heart. And, as always, thanks for listening. Have you ever gazed in wonder at the Great Pyramid?

Have you marvelled at the golden face of Tutankhamun? Or admired the delicate features of Queen Nefertiti? If you have, you'll probably like the History of Egypt podcast. Every week, we explore tales of this ancient culture. The History of Egypt is available wherever you get your podcasting fix. Come, let me introduce you to the world of Ancient Egypt.