Chinese History & Mythology

In recent years, a term has become increasingly common on Chinese social media: “cutting ties with relatives.” It refers to young people deliberately distancing themselves from their extended families. They do not want to go home for Chinese New Year, deal with relatives pressuring them to marry or have children, or take part in family group chats. Some remain silent in these chats for long periods and only show up when someone sends a digital red envelope. The numbers behind this trend are stark.

In Search of the Supernatural, is a 4th-century Chinese compilation of legends, short stories, and hearsay concerning Chinese gods, ghosts, and other supernatural phenomena in the zhiguai and chuanqi styles. Although the authorship of the book is not made explicit in the text, it is believed to have been written and compiled by Gan Bao, a historian at the court of Emperor Yuan of the Jin dynasty around AD 350. It was reissued in numerous editions, including in 1593. The book usually consists of 464 stories.

In Search of the Supernatural, is a 4th-century Chinese compilation of legends, short stories, and hearsay concerning Chinese gods, ghosts, and other supernatural phenomena in the zhiguai and chuanqi styles. Although the authorship of the book is not made explicit in the text, it is believed to have been written and compiled by Gan Bao, a historian at the court of Emperor Yuan of the Jin dynasty around AD 350. It was reissued in numerous editions, including in 1593. The book usually consists of 464 stories.

Why can a rough, low-budget animated film become a viral sensation and fill theaters across China? Beginning with the unexpected popularity of Niu Lai, this episode traces the ancient roots of China’s “so-bad-it’s-good” entertainment—from pre-Qin court jesters and Han dynasty street performances to Tang storytelling, Song entertainment districts, Ming and Qing folk opera, and today’s memes, livestreams, and scrolling comments. Behind these seemingly “tacky” cultural hits lies a long tradition of grassroots creativity, anti-elitist humor, collective participation, and the powerful vitality of ordinary people.

In Search of the Supernatural, is a 4th-century Chinese compilation of legends, short stories, and hearsay concerning Chinese gods, ghosts, and other supernatural phenomena in the zhiguai and chuanqi styles. Although the authorship of the book is not made explicit in the text, it is believed to have been written and compiled by Gan Bao, a historian at the court of Emperor Yuan of the Jin dynasty around AD 350. It was reissued in numerous editions, including in 1593. The book usually consists of 464 stories.

In Search of the Supernatural, is a 4th-century Chinese compilation of legends, short stories, and hearsay concerning Chinese gods, ghosts, and other supernatural phenomena in the zhiguai and chuanqi styles. Although the authorship of the book is not made explicit in the text, it is believed to have been written and compiled by Gan Bao, a historian at the court of Emperor Yuan of the Jin dynasty around AD 350. It was reissued in numerous editions, including in 1593. The book usually consists of 464 stories.

A typhoon formed deep over the Pacific Ocean and traveled more than 6,000 kilometers across the sea. After making landfall, its winds gradually weakened, but the moisture it carried continued moving deep into China. Zhejiang, Shanghai, Hubei, Henan, and Beijing were hit by heavy rainfall one after another. In some places, just a few hours brought as much rain as would normally fall over a much longer period. Roads turned into rivers, vehicles became trapped, water levels rose, and the risks of flash floods and landslides increased. When weather like this happens today, people turn to satellite images and examine the typhoon’s path, ocean temperatures, wind shear, monsoon moisture, and urban drainage systems. But if a storm of the same scale had struck two thousand years ago, how would people have explained what was happening before their eyes?

What period came after the Three Kingdoms?
After the Three Kingdoms, the next period in Chinese history was the Western and Eastern Jin dynasties.

 A woman, a woman who had never gone onto the battlefield and had never taken part in any political decision, had her name used like a match to ignite the fuse of an entire war. This detail is extremely thought-provoking. It reveals a deep logic that runs through the entire Three Kingdoms narrative, and even through all of classical Chinese literature: in war epics written by men, women’s bodies, beauty, and marriages are always bargaining chips in power struggles, tools for political mobilization, and scapegoats for historical failure.

When we open the vast historical scroll of China, or walk through those ancient temples across Asia, surrounded by curling incense smoke, one very unique cultural phenomenon immediately catches our eye. The Chinese system of gods is completely different from the monotheistic systems found in many other civilizations around the world. Here, there is no one and only creator who excludes all other gods, and there is no abstract deity standing high above, completely separated from human emotions. The Chinese world of gods and immortals is more like a huge, well-organized cosmic government, full of human warmth. In this system, the gods have clear duties. They have emotions similar to human beings, such as joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. Some even have detailed life stories and records of promotion. Many figures who truly existed in history were placed on the altar by ordinary people after their deaths because of their outstanding contributions or noble character, and they received worship and incense for generations.