Records of Strange Tales from Ancient China
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Summary
The author, Huyan Yun, combed through historical archives and consulted more than 1,000 notebooks by notable figures of the Ming and Qing dynasties to re-stage many historical mysteries recorded in the annals. Peeling back layer after layer, he uses modern criminal investigation methods to place historical facts before readers once again.
The book is divided into four chapters: Legends: the B-Side of Empire; Major Cases: Those Unknown "Detectives Di"; Unmasked: the Truth Behind the Bizarre; and The Imperial Palace: Scandals, Curiosities and Strange Tales from Within—each recounting the little-known stories behind well-known events in city streets, villages, officialdom and the imperial court.
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers with a strong interest in ancient Chinese social culture and folk beliefs
- Mystery fans who enjoy finding stories and logic in the cracks of history
- Literary readers seeking in-depth interpretation of supernatural tales or notebook-style fiction
- Readers of social-science books hoping to broaden their perspective on traditional culture
Not a good fit for
- Entertainment-oriented readers seeking pure horror thrills or fantasy stories
- Researchers expecting systematic academic verification or strictly historiographical works
Reading tips
- Reading this book alongside excerpts from originals such as Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, Zi Buyu or Notes from the Yuewei Hermitage is recommended to appreciate the author's interpretations
- You need not read it in order; choose chapters by interest from the contents. Each piece stands alone, well suited to deep thinking in spare moments
- While reading, note how the author extracts key information from "strange tales" and try analyzing their causes from a modern perspective to exercise historical thinking
About the publisher
Zhejiang People's Publishing House is a comprehensive publisher known for its social science, history and foreign literature titles, covering philosophy, politics, law, economics, culture and history. Among the books in the library catalogue, its foreign literature list includes Yasunari Kawabata's Snow Country and The Old Capital in well-known translations, as well as Wuthering Heights; its history list is represented by Dangnian Mingyue's Ming Dynasty series, and its politics list by Zhejiang New Discourse. Authors represented include Yasunari Kawabata, Ye Weiqu, Tang Yuemei, Dangnian Mingyue, Emily Brontë and René Wellek, with Wellek's Theory of Literature (newly revised edition) among its titles in literary theory. Beyond these areas, the press also publishes works on literary appreciation and social culture, giving it a profile that combines classic translations, popular history and academic works. As publicly available information is limited, other details are not covered here.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 序言
- 第一章 传奇：帝国的B面
- 一、清末民国初年对赶尸之谜的“新解”
- 二、李自成祖坟里的“小白蛇”真相
- 三、煤窑传说与道光帝整顿黑煤窑
- 四、裹脚：清末战乱中的“逃生概率”
- 五、古代笔记里找得到“地震云”吗？
- 六、世上本无鬼，装的人多了就有了鬼
- 第二章 要案：那些不知名的“狄仁杰”们
- 一、乾隆年间的“怪鸟杀人事件”
- 二、摸钟：古人破案屡试不爽的“心理战术”
- 三、陈涌金案件：嘉庆朝第一人伦惨剧
- 四、“万源夹道命案”的小说与真相
- 五、道光年间的寒山寺“一百四十余人命案”
- 六、古代笔记中的“名侦探鹦鹉”
- 七、古代“滴血验亲”中的荒唐事儿
- 八、当福尔摩斯遇到中国“诡案”，怎么破？
- 九、嘉靖朝特大连环凶杀案侦破记
- 十、武则天时代那些真正的“狄仁杰”们
- 第三章 揭秘：诡谲背后的真相
- 一、“天启大爆炸”是外星人入侵吗？
- 二、方苞与1691年的“北京之疫”
- 三、晚清武术真实的“功守道”
- 四、清末民初，治牙疼居然真能挑出“牙虫儿”
- 五、当“喵星人”开口说话的时候
- 六、《探清水河》中的大莲是自杀还是他杀？
- 第四章 大内：皇宫里的丑闻、趣闻与异闻
- 一、壬寅宫变：十六个少女的杀人计划
- 二、癸酉之变：都是闰八月惹的祸
- 三、明英宗废除“人殉”的前前后后
- 四、慈禧太后为何跟一棵白果树“熬鳔”
- 五、隆庆二年正月里的“大恐慌”
- 六、杨贵妃：不爱“妖猫”爱“妖猿”
- 七、中法战争，恭王曾用“天眼通”侦察敌情吗？
- 八、朱棣与明代“福尔摩斯”之死
FAQ
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About the author
Huyan Yun, whose original name is Zhang Wei, was born in Beijing in 1976 and is a Chinese writer of mystery fiction. He previously worked as a journalist and made his debut in 2009 with Metamorphosis, for which some critics have called him a "revolutionary of Chinese-language mystery fiction." His works include the "Truth Reasoning Master" series, The Yellow Emperor's Curse, The Black Basin, and the "Fate Trilogy"—Sweeping Rat Ridge, The Empty City Stratagem, and Ghost Laughing Stone—as well as Impossible Survival, Father's Revenge, A Record of Ancient Chinese Strange Tales 3, and The Collected Mystery Novels of Huyan Yun. His writing blends the orthodox puzzle-solving tradition with social mystery fiction and also touches on historical and folk-literature themes. Some of his works have been adapted for film and television and translated for overseas readers.
