The New Ghost Tale
The First Complete English Translation of a Classical Chinese Supernatural Novel
A fierce scholar. A tragic fate. A rebirth among spirits.
In this strange and vivid Chinese supernatural novel, the legendary figure Zhong Kui begins not as a godlike demon-slayer, but as a gifted scholar whose destiny is shattered by injustice, appearance, and imperial judgment.
Rejected by the world of men, Zhong Kui passes into the realm of spirits - only to return with a new role: confronting demons, judging wickedness, and restoring moral order where human institutions have failed.
About the Book
The New Ghost Tale (新鬼傳) is a classical Chinese supernatural novel attributed to Zhang Liu, blending ghost story, moral allegory, imperial examination drama, and demon-quelling fantasy.
The story follows Zhong Kui, a talented scholar of the Tang dynasty whose fearsome appearance leads to humiliation and tragedy. Yet his death is not an ending. Transformed into a powerful spirit, Zhong Kui becomes a vanquisher of evil forces, moving through a world where ghosts, demons, officials, and moral judgment exist side by side.
At once eerie, satirical, and morally charged, the novel belongs to a long Chinese tradition in which the supernatural world reflects the failures, injustices, and hidden truths of the human one.
About This Edition
This edition presents The New Ghost Tale (新鬼傳) in English for readers interested in classical Chinese fiction, supernatural literature, folklore, and moral fantasy.
Translated by Valentin Saric, this edition makes available a rare public-domain Chinese work centered on one of China’s most enduring demon-quelling figures: Zhong Kui, the fierce judge of ghosts and evil spirits.
Themes & Legacy
This novel explores:
the injustice of judging people by appearance
the fragility of worldly success
the moral world of ghosts and spirits
the transformation of suffering into supernatural power
Zhong Kui as scholar, victim, avenger, and divine protector
the Chinese literary tradition of ghostly justice and demon-quelling tales
For readers familiar with Chinese folklore, Zhong Kui is one of the great symbolic figures of supernatural justice: terrifying to demons, protective toward the innocent, and inseparable from the idea that the moral order extends beyond death.
For readers who love
Classical Chinese ghost stories, supernatural justice tales, Zhong Kui legends, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, demon-quelling folklore, imperial examination fiction, Taoist and Buddhist-inflected fantasy, and moral supernatural literature from old China.
At a glance
About the series
Rediscover the great epics, mysteries and chronicles of dynastic China: gods and generals, swindlers and scholars, courtesans, ghosts and emperors, in complete English translations.
