Beauty from the Painting:

The book Beauty from the Painting tells the story of the fairy maiden Zhang Meizhen and the young man Li Fulai. In the story, a poverty-stricken yet kind-hearted country boy called Li Fulai saved an old lady. The old lady’s husband gave him a painting with a beautiful girl on it. Later the girl on the painting incarnated in human form and married Li Fulai. Together they helped the villagers punish the evil king.

Nie Xiaoqian:

The book Nie Xiaoqian tells the love story between the ghost maiden Nie Xiaoqian and the young scholar Ning Caichen. In the story, Nie Xiaoqian died at the age of 18 and became a ghost who was forced by a vampire to hurt people. She was saved by Ning Caichen and brought to his home. The two of them got married and shared a happy life together. Later when the vampire came to their door, they killed it with the help of a swordsman called Yan Chixia.

The Cow Herder and the Weaver Girl:

In the book The Cow Herder and the Weaver Girl, Niulang, the Cower Herder, whose parents died when he was young, was mistreated by his sister-in-law so much so that he could only left home, with nobody but a cow by his side. The fairy maiden Zhinu, the Weaver Girl, came to play in the human world and encountered the Cow Herder by chance. The two fell in love, got married and had two children, a son and a daughter. However, the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother in the heaven, after hearing about this, ordered heavenly soldiers to take the Weaver Girl away. The Cow Herder, carrying the children in baskets, chased after them but was stopped by the Milky Way. He and his wife gazed at each other day after day from the two sides of the Milky Way. Finally the Jade Emperor approved of them meeting once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. Now they are stars in the sky.

A Golden Millet Dream:

The book A Golden Millet Dream tells the story about a young man who dreamt to be a wealthy, high-ranking official. In the story, a young scholar felt it sucked to live in poverty and wished to become a wealthy, powerful, high-ranking official. One day, he met an old man in an inn, who gave him a pillow and asked him to sleep a little while. The young man fell asleep and had a dream in which he experienced the life of a high official. After he woke up, he realized what the most important thing in life was.

The Old Man under the Moon:

The book The Old Man under the Moon tells the story of how Yue Lao, the god of love, arranges marriages for young people. Once there was a young man who wanted to marry early, but failed to do so after many attempts. He was frustrated and didn’t know why. One night he met an old man, who told him that all marriages were destined and two people could become a couple only when their feet were tied by the same invisible red thread. The old man also told him that his future wife was only three years old at that time and wouldn’t marry him until fourteen years later. The young man didn’t believe him and tried to kill that three-year-old girl. But no matter how hard he tried, it ended up as the old man said.

Lady White Snake:

In the book Lady White Snake, a man called Xu Xian saved a white snake in one of his former lives. Two thousand years had passed and the white snake cultivated itself into the form of a young lady and called herself Bai Suzhen. Bai Suzhen found Xu Xian in this life and they fell in love. To fight against the monk Fahai who tried every means to destroy her relation with Xu Xian, Bai Suzhen made a big mistake by drowning the Jinshan Temple. After giving birth to a son, she was put into prison under the Leifeng Pagoda.

Chang E Flying to the Moon:

In the book Chang’e Flying to the Moon, the brave tiger slayer Hou Yi was in love with Chang’e, a girl living in the neighboring village. Hou Yi went to Tianshan where he learned tremendous ability from the Queen Mother of the West and killed ten evil beasts. Then he went back home and married Chang’e. However, the villain Feng Meng who had always coveted Chang’e murdered Hou Yi. Chang’e, after eating a magical pill from the Queen Mother of the West, flied to the moon and became an immortal after avenging Hou Yi.

Chen Shimei:

The book Chen Shimei tells the story of Chen Shimei and Qin Xianglian. In the story, Chen Shimei got first place in the imperial examination, and for the sake of wealth and high status, he abandoned his parents, wife and children and married the princess. His first wife Qin Xianglian came to the capital with their children looking for him. He refused to acknowledge them and even planned to kill them. Eventually, Bao Zheng, the governor of the City of Kaifeng, sentenced Chen Shimei to death penalty.

Hua Mulan:

The book Hua Mulan tells the story of a girl called Hua Mulan joining the army instead of her father. When a war broke out at the border, Hua Mulan’s father was summoned to the army. But he was old and in poor health. Hua Mulan, who then just turned 18, decided to disguise herself as a man and join the army instead of her father. On the battlefield, she was brave and won a lot of battles. The enemy was defeated at last. After twelve years of life on the line, Hua Mulan eventually got back home.

The Butterfly Lovers:

In the book The Butterfly Lovers, a girl called Zhu Yingtai persuaded his parents and disguised herself as a boy to pursue studies in Hangzhou. On the way to Hangzhou, she met her future classmate Liang Shanbo. They became friends immediately. During the following three years of studying together, the two of them built a very close relationship. Zhu fell in love with Liang, but her father was determined to marry her to another man called Ma Wencai. Eventually the lovelorn Liang died of depression and Zhu was so sad that she jumped into Liang’s tomb on her way to Ma’s home. The two lovers turned into butterflies and flied away.