Magic Tricks

Chen HengqingNanhai Publication Company · ChinaJun 2024

3.1

Word count: 409 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

When the tribute student Huang Xianggu of Jimo was newly elevated, he went with several friends to a village to watch a play. In front of the village a man was performing magic, with dozens of people gathered around. A friend said, "Let us take a look." Huang said, "This is just sleight of hand, not worth watching; better to watch the play." Everyone knew Huang had just been selected and assumed his judgment must be superior, so they all followed him. At the magic performance site in front of the village, not a single person was left, and the performer resented it. When the play was over, he invited Huang onto the road and questioned him: "You say my performance is sleight of hand; tell me what you wish for, and I can bring it at once." Huang said, "I would like to go touring the West Lake in Hangzhou with a beauty, to enjoy the West Lake as Xi Shi did." The performer said, "You shall have it." From a box he took a bamboo tube, pointed its mouth at Huang, and muttered an incantation. Suddenly a beauty appeared, a few inches tall. He chanted again, and she grew to the height of an average person, dressed in bright colors and lovely as an immortal. She bowed to Huang, then took his hand, and they rose into the clouds. The wind whistled past their ears, and after about half an hour they landed on the shore of the West Lake, where she abandoned Huang and left. Huang stood alone by the lake, at a loss where to go. After much wandering he reached the capital, but had already missed the date of the court examination. He petitioned for a supplementary examination, and remained a tribute student for life. This man was indeed a mischievous prankster—or perhaps he was an immortal sporting for a moment in the human world, who happened upon a frivolous man and deliberately made sport of him?

Editor's review

This short piece uses an almost strange-tale anecdote to bring out the weight of the phrase "sleight of hand." When the tribute student Huang Xianggu of Jimo was newly elevated, he dismissed a village magic show with a single remark, "This is just sleight of hand." Because he had just been selected, the crowd followed him to watch the play, leaving the magic site deserted. The performer harbored a grudge, questioned him on the road after the show, and when Huang casually said he wished to tour the West Lake in Hangzhou with a beauty, the performer chanted over a bamboo tube and called forth a beauty a few inches tall, chanted again until she was the height of an average person, then took Huang's hand and rose into the clouds, landing him on the shore of the West Lake after about half an hour and leaving him there. Huang stood alone by the lake, wandered to the capital, missed the court examination, and remained a tribute student for life. The author's closing line—"This man was indeed a mischievous prankster—or perhaps an immortal sporting in the human world"—turns the magic show into a tease of a frivolous man. The writing is spare and the plot turns neatly; it offers the pleasure of a note-style tale and prompts reflection on the cost of judging others' skills rashly. It suits leisurely reading as a fable-like sketch, with attention to the narrative rhythm and the light turn at the end.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy note-style tales and strange anecdotes
Readers interested in traditional magic and illusion
Readers looking for short pieces for narrative analysis
Readers who enjoy light classical Chinese sketches in their leisure time

Not a good fit for

Readers who want to learn magic performance techniques and their secrets
Readers seeking a systematic history of opera or magic
Readers who dislike classical Chinese style and read only long vernacular works

Reading tips

Read through once for the plot, then go back to see how Huang Xianggu's dismissive remark leads to what follows.
Note the progressive description of the bamboo tube, the incantation, and the beauty growing from a few inches to human height.
After reading, compare it with other short pieces in the same book to appreciate the author's note-style narrative rhythm.
Take out the closing line about an immortal sporting in the human world and think about the author's attitude.

About the publisher

Nanhai Publication Company China · Founded in 1988

Nanhai Publication Company is a comprehensive publisher known for its literature and arts titles, covering fields such as classical poetry, martial arts fiction, and folk literature. Judging from the more than 1,600 books in the database, the company has released classical poetic works including the Nineteen Old Poems and the Nine Songs, as well as multiple volumes of Huanzhulouzhu's series The Swordsmen of Mount Shu, along with related writings by authors such as Guan Hanqing, Qu Yuan, Zuo Si, and Wang Zhihuan. Its publishing character lies in balancing the organization of classic texts with the dissemination of popular literature, placing poetry anthologies alongside long martial arts novels and presenting a relatively diverse literary profile. Public information is limited, and further details about its editorial practices and series planning remain to be supplemented.

版权信息
戏法

FAQ

Did this story really happen?

The material is a note-style narrative from Chen Hengqing's brush, with a strange-tale flavor; the author ends by speculating that the performer was perhaps an immortal sporting in the human world, which shows that it is closer to rumor and anecdote and should not be taken as verified history.

Why did the magician play a trick on Huang Xianggu?

Huang said publicly that the magic was "just sleight of hand, not worth watching," so the crowd followed him to the play and the magic site was left deserted. The performer harbored a grudge, questioned him on the road after the show, and, acting on Huang's own words, produced a beauty and carried him off to the West Lake, making him miss the examination.

What was Huang Xianggu's final fate?

He was set down on the shore of the West Lake, the beauty abandoned him and left, and he wandered alone to the capital, where he had already missed the court examination. He petitioned for a supplementary examination and remained a tribute student for life. The story ends there, bringing out the cost of rashly judging another's skill.

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About the author

Chen Hengqing Author · Chinese · 1844–1920

Chen Hengqing (1844–1920), courtesy name Zijiu, was a native of Weixian in Shandong (present-day Weicheng District, Weifang). A late Qing official and scholar, he passed the provincial examination in 1873 and the metropolitan examination in 1886. He served successively as a secretary in the Ministry of Works, rising through the Waterways, Construction, and Colonization Departments, and later held posts as Supervising Censor of the Ministry of War, Investigating Censor of the Henan Circuit, and Chief Supervising Censor. In 1908 he was appointed prefect of Jinzhou. He retired at sixty and wrote works including Jianshu Xian Notes (also known as Jili Qingtan) and Unofficial Gleanings of the Late Qing. His extant writings are considerable, with 154 titles held in our collection, many drawing on folk literature and Eastern philosophy. They touch on modern upheavals such as the militia conflicts, the Boxer movement, and the Nian rebels, as well as rural tales and social types like foxes and swindlers, and social issues such as Manchu-Han differences, bearing the documentary flavor of note-style historiography. Public information is limited, and his literary standing and influence await further study.