The Record of Refuting the Law

This is a strange-tales novel rooted in the folk traditions of Northeast China. The snow of Changbai Mountain, the wind in the old forests, the village shrine that has stood for hundreds of years, and the folk remedy of rolling an egg over someone on the kang to drive away evil: all are woven into the story. The book brings together the shamanic beliefs of Northeast China, Taoist talismans, folk spells, and the apotropaic arts of the Gongshu school. With rich folkloric detail and meticulous research, it builds a world where all things have spirits and the boundary between gods and ghosts is blurred: trees have their own qi, mountains have their own shadows, yellow weasels perch on roof beams and talk, the Dragon King at the bottom of the river steals souls, ink lines snapped from an inked string can suppress evil, and setting a carpenter’s square by the door can keep it out. Here, ghosts aren’t necessarily evil, and monsters understand gratitude better than people do. A red weasel, in repayment for being saved ten years ago, dares to use its own spiritual power to shield its benefactor from ghostly officials. The truly frightening ones are often the living, who use their arts for wicked ends. “The rules aren’t made by people; they’re set by heaven and earth. If people don’t follow the rules, something will come to settle the score.” These are the words a master teaches his apprentice, and the heart of every story in this book: faced with unseen rules, people may choose not to believe, but they must still show respect.