Spring in the Jade Hall: A Story Synoptic
Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio was a collection of ancient Chinese novels, which contained many fantasy, ghost, monster and other stories. Spring in the Jade Hall was one of the more famous stories. It told the story of a young woman, Spring in the Jade Hall, who chose to commit suicide after encountering family misfortune and love setbacks. The story begins with the young scholar Li Bai meeting a woman named Yu Tangchun by chance in the lantern market. Yu Tangchun had outstanding looks and talent, but his fate was very bumpy. Unfortunately, her father died early and her mother married a greedy businessman, which made her life very difficult. Li Bai had a good impression of Yu Tangchun and offered her help, but Yu Tangchun kept his distance from him. After that, Yu Tangchun met a scholar named Pei Sheng, and their relationship gradually deepened. However, Pei Sheng's family didn't agree with them being together because his father was an official and Yu Tangchun's family wasn't rich. They were worried that Pei Sheng would be influenced by Yu Tangchun's family. In the end, Pei Sheng was forced to leave Yu Tangchun and their love ended. Yu Tangchun chose to commit suicide in despair. Her soul had possessed a white rabbit and was wandering around the night market. Li Bai saw Yu Tangchun's soul give her a bouquet of flowers and tell her to live well. In the end, Yu Tangchun's soul flew away with the white rabbit. This story expressed people's thoughts on love, family, fate, and the pursuit of freedom and happiness.