Li Kang is the author of Duyizhi (Record of the Strange and Unusual), and public information about his life is very limited: his nationality, dates of birth and death, and English name are not clearly recorded, and the only surviving work confirmed today is this single title. The book belongs to the tradition of ancient zhiguai miscellanies, recording strange tales and supernatural legends in short, concise narratives that carry a distinct folk flavor and sense of the marvelous; it serves as one reference for understanding the character of ancient zhiguai literature. Because biographical material on the author is scarce, later discussion of his life and the book's background relies largely on the text itself, which makes Duyizhi all the more valuable in transmission. In common library classifications the work is often placed under literary appreciation, inviting readers to enjoy both its stories and its prose, while its contents also offer a useful text for later study of the zhiguai tradition.
