Crossing between the Immortal World and the Mortal World in the Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio: Reflection on the Return of Liu Chen and Ruan Zhao and Investigation into Sentiments and the Dao

Many tales in the Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio involve portraits and explorations of the immortal world, where myths, religions, legends, ethics, self-reflections and aesthetics are neatly interwoven. All these themes reveal the author Pu Song-Ling’s imagination, his craving for immortality and the Dao, and his multi-faceted inquiries of life, including love, filial piety, succession of heirs, pursuit of fame and honor, and the dilemma of choosing between immortality and mortality. The present paper is intended to analyze the incessant journeys between the immortal world and the mortal world in the Strange Stories. Employing the Liu-Ruan model of the Six Dynasties, the paper investigates how one deals with his/her sentiments and thoughts of the Dao, how he/she transcends the boundary of the mundane life and contemplates whether to grasp or abandon fame and honor, and how his/her life evolves and explores itself. Through the reciprocal relationship between the immortal world and the mortal world, the Strange Stories sheds light on human nature and realization.