Pu Songling was born in a scholarly family. In his early years, he also wanted to use the imperial examination to be an official. Unfortunately, he tried again and again and could only make a living by teaching. He has been interested in folk ghost stories since childhood. It is said that Pu Songling once opened a teahouse in front of his house in order to collect materials. People who come to drink tea can use a story instead of tea money. Pu Songling collected a large number of bizarre stories in this way, and after finishing and processing, they were included in Strange Tales from a Lonely Studio.

According to the notes of the Qing Dynasty, "Three Borrowing Lu Bi Tan", Pu Songling spread a mat on the ground next to the avenue every morning and set up a yancha, waiting for passers-by to collect anecdotes. Every time I hear something, I whitewash it when I go home.

In the first year of Kangxi (1662), Pu Songling began to write stories about foxes and ghosts at the age of 22. In the spring of the 18th year of Kangxi (1679), 40-year-old Pu Songling compiled the manuscript into a book Strange Tales from a Lonely Studio for the first time, with a preface in the south. Since then, it has been added frequently. It was not until the thirty-ninth year of Kangxi (1700) and the forty-sixth year of Kangxi (1707) that a few addenda appeared in the book. The writing of Strange Tales from a Lonely Studio lasted more than forty years, and Pu Songling devoted most of his energy.

Content introduction:

There are nearly 500 books in Strange Tales from a Lonely Studio, which are mainly divided into the following types:

One is a love story, which accounts for the largest proportion in the book. Most of the main characters in the story are not afraid of feudal ethics and dare to pursue free love. Representative works include Lotus Fragrance, Xiao Xie, Liancheng, Huanniang and Crow's Head.

The second is to criticize the imperial examination system for destroying scholars. Ye Sheng, Si Wenlang, Eliminating Disasters and Wang Zian are all such works.

Third, it has social significance, exposing the cruelty and oppression of the ruling class to the people, such as Xi Fangping, Promoting Weaving, Dream Wolf, Beauty and so on.