Famous Chinese Short Stories (Pocket Library PL-8)

This book is one of my favourites. Lin Yutang retells some of the most famous Chinese short stories, ranging from the Tang, to the Sung and Ching periods. There are stories of adventure and mystery, about love, ghost stories etc. Some titles: Curly-Beard (about the Chinese "Charlemagne", uniting China under the great Tang empire), the Stranger's Note, the Jade Goddess, Madame D. When reading these fascinating stories you feel immersed in an exotic atmosphere, and are impressed by the culture of this ancient civilisation that radiates from the text. A short example from the interesting introduction: "The Tang period was not only the golden period of poetry; it was also the classical period of the literary tale. Men's imaginations were bolder, as in Elizabethan England, their fancy was a little freer and livelier, and their hearts were a little lighter..."