Recollections from youth often carry a warm and vivid charm.
“Stealing a Peach” is one of the few self-reflective essays in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. Pu Songling passed the xiucai exam at the age of 19 in 1658. This story, set during his youth as he attended the regional exams, likely took place around that time. As it is autobiographical, it also employs a rare limited perspective within the collection.
The narrative begins with the author leaving his hometown during the festive season, offering a backdrop of bustling activity with “walls of people” and cacophonous sounds. However, Pu skillfully narrows the focus to the magician’s performance, guiding readers directly to the heart of the spectacle.
The “stealing a peach” act, performed by a father and son, unfolds dramatically. Through dialogue and vivid descriptions, Pu captures every moment of the trick—the suspense, the twists, and the emotional tension—before revealing the magician’s ingenious deception. The illusion is detailed with startling clarity: the rope suspended in thin air, the boy’s ascent like a spider, and the gruesome “death” staged to perfection. Such evocative storytelling still captivates readers centuries later.
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