Zibo, 10 Oct (ZXS) -- Question: Entering Pu Songling's Former Residence: Visiting an Old Man by the Spring and Looking for a Legend

China News Agency reporter Zhao Xiao

The cold dew has passed, the northern sky is getting cooler, and the tourists by the Liuquan in Zibo, Shandong are still flocking. Visitors from the north of Tiannanhai flock to find a legendary story, just like more than 300 years ago, business travelers used to exchange the free tea stalls of the old man by the spring, using strange stories to exchange for tea.

The story of the Liuquan Tea Shed, compiled and created by this old man who called himself "Liuquan Resident Scholar", finally became a "strange book" "Liaozhai Zhi Yi" that "writes ghosts and writes demons and superiors". The old man Pu Songling is also known as the "king of short stories in the world".

Since August this year, the song of the same name of "Rakshasa Sea Market" in "Liaozhai Zhi Yi" has become popular, setting off a "chat fasting fever", and Pu Songling Memorial Hall has also become a popular check-in place. During the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day "Double Festival" holidays, Pu Songling Memorial Hall reached the maximum carrying capacity for many consecutive days.

In mid-August, volunteers guided visitors to visit the Pu Songling Memorial Hall in an orderly manner. Photo by China News Agency reporter Zhao Xiao

The memorial hall was expanded from Pu Songling's former residence in 1980 and is located in Pujiazhuang, Hongshan Town, Zichuan District, Zibo City, and retains the architectural style of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

After entering Pu Songling's former residence, the eyes are full of forests and trees, and the courtyard is winding and secluded. Docent Zhao Weiwei told reporters that the Pu Songling Memorial Hall has 10 exhibition rooms, an area of about 3000,1 square meters open to the public, and more than 5,<> cultural relics in the museum, of which Pu Songling's manuscripts, portraits, seals, etc. belong to national first-class cultural relics. "The former residence is where Pugong lived and lived, and the display in the house tells us about his poverty in life, and also tells future generations about his spiritual wealth."

Frayed papers, ancient seals, yellowed scrolls... Here, people imagine the picture of the dandelion wielding his talents and sketching the world of Liaozhai.

"For more than 300 years, "Liaozhai Zhi Wei" has a large number of loyal fans, and Pu Songling's strange novels have fascinated countless people. The famous writer Lao She once praised this work as 'the ghost fox has character, and laughter becomes an article'. Sun Lili, head of the missionary, cultural and creative department of Pu Songling Memorial Hall, said that "Liaozhai Zhizhi" has been translated into more than 20 languages and more than 100 versions, and has been widely circulated around the world. The Pu Songling Memorial Museum exhibits Liaozhai stories in English, Japanese, Russian and other translations, as well as adaptations of vernacular Liaozhai, comic book albums, film and television scripts, etc.

Yue Xicheng, a college student from Weifang, and his girlfriend were very interested in the different versions of the Liaozhai story manuscripts collected in the Pu Songling Memorial Museum. "I passed "Wolf" written by Pu Songling in junior high school, and then I watched the movies "Painted Skin" and "Qiannu Ghost", and this time I visited the memorial hall and relived those classic stories." Yue Xicheng said.

"Liaozhai Zhi Yi is a novel that is infatuated with the fierce 'Liancheng', the fox fairy 'Xiaocui' who knows the Entu News, and the 'Xi Fangping' who has the courage to fight against social reality... The stories and characters in the book are enlightening and educational for how people live. Jin Haipeng, a northeasterner, is a "history buff" who visited Pu Songling's former residence more than 40 years ago when he was a university student in Jinan. This time he revisited the old place, Jin Haipeng noticed that the area of the memorial hall has expanded, the exhibition transformation has been improved, and the popularity of "Liaozhai" has become more prosperous.

In mid-August, visitors walk into the Pu Songling Memorial Hall to see the statue of Pu Songling. Photo by China News Agency reporter Zhao Xiao

In the view of Pu Zhangjun, the eleventh grandson of Pu Songling and the representative inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage project Liaozhai slang song, "Liaozhai Zhi Yi" is not only "writing ghosts and demons and being superior", but also full of ways of dealing with the world. Different from the past reading "Liaozhai Zhi Yi" to see the excitement, now more and more people are willing to delve into the wisdom and profound philosophy contained in it.

"The clear one clears himself, the turbid one is self-turbid", "Wisdom passes, it is a true fool"... Many cautionary sayings in "Liaozhai Zhi Yi" are still talked about today.

Wang Ping, a professor at the School of Literature of Shandong University, said in an interview with the China News Agency that most of the nearly 500 short stories in "Liaozhai Zhi Yi" use surreal expression techniques to reflect the real society, or ridicule, criticism, or ideals. "No matter how the storyline is transformed, we always face the reality of life, fully affirm the value of people, and attach importance to the role of stories in supplementing the hearts of people in the world." This is why it is regarded as the pinnacle of Chinese literary fiction. ”

Sun Lili revealed that in order to allow the audience to have a deeper appreciation of the wonderful "Liaozhai World" and promote the "live" of traditional culture, Pu Songling Memorial Hall recently created a Liaozhai-themed VR immersive experience exhibition hall this year, promoting the digital and intelligent upgrading of the exhibition in the museum, using 5G, 3D, ultra-high definition and other digital technologies to present the typical stories of Liaozhai, so that more people can understand Liaozhai culture in an immersive experience. (End)