Novels like Thirty Years of Strange Tales from the Northeast
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as Thirty Years of Strange Tales from the Northeast, best match first.
- 101 I’m a Spirit Medium in the Northeast 我在东北当顶香师 “Heaven has thirty-three layers, Earth has three feet and three halls. I walk the yin road, descend to the Underworld, and am a spirit medium from Northeast China.” My name is Ye Ling. My life was ordinary until I turned twenty-one. Then my grandmother died of an illness, and I began having nightmares every night and seeing ghosts all the time. I even gained some kind of special ability. I went to see a fortune-teller, who told me I couldn’t leave this county for three years and had to sit in 242Reads6.6Score—14d adds
- 102 Village Tales of the Chosen One 乡村怪谈之天命人 Programmer Wu Jie possesses the ancestral “Truth-Piercing Eye” and is forced to return to the isolated mountain village of Shoushan to inherit his family home. By day, the village seems perfectly normal, but at night it is shrouded in eerie taboos. Every night beneath the old locust tree at the village entrance, a woman in red appears and asks, “Am I more like a human or a god?” Anyone who answers incorrectly either dies or goes mad. While the villagers tremble and obey rules that have been foll 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 103 The Cycle of the Ghost Soldiers' Crossing 阴兵借道之轮回 Deep within the Sacred Ruins Temple, the ancient Sacred Ruins Dragon slowly opened its star-bright eyes. Its gaze held a profound wisdom, as if it could see through every mystery in the world. Luo Aiai stood before the Sacred Ruins Dragon, her face showing a hint of nervousness and anticipation. Who am I? Her hands were clasped tightly together, as though seeking comfort. But when she felt the Sacred Dragon’s gentle yet powerful aura, the tension in her heart gradually faded. “You are... Your bo 1Reads7.8Score—14d adds
- 104 The Savior? Let Me Go Back and Make a Person First! 救世主?我先回去造个人! A savior? Let me go back and make a person first! 46Reads—Score114d adds
- 105 I Reached Immortality by Fortune-Telling on Livestream 我靠直播算命登仙途 [No CP + Livestreaming + Fortune-Telling + Feng Shui + Ghost-Hunting + System] Bai Qiaoling died during the lightning tribulation of her ascension. Instead, she was mistaken for a witch and sacrificed into the body of a miserable modern girl who shared her name, Bai Qiaoling, at Qingfeng Temple. The original Bai Qiaoling was the biological daughter of a wealthy family, reclaimed a year ago. No one knew what had happened to her, only that she had used a forbidden ritual that prevented reincarnati 4Reads—Score—14d adds
- 106 Rift in the Abyss: We Awakened the Old Ones 深渊裂隙:我们唤醒旧日支配者 In 1992, U.S. Army Major Austin takes charge of the top-secret project "Abyss Watch." One hundred and thirty meters beneath the desert, a strange fissure spreads madness into the world above. Five elite soldiers are ordered into the abyss, with Austin directing their investigation remotely. A videotape that appears out of nowhere exposes a horrific secret from the past: To spy on the secrets underground, the military sacrificed living people. A thousand meters below ground, an ancient stone gate —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 107 Mysticism: An Evil Cultivator Poses as a God and Earns Boundless Merit 玄学:邪修扮神明,功德无量了 [Occult mysteries, feel-good and satisfying, strong heroine, male lead, no devoted lapdog] Qin Yu is the most wicked of gods, with a particular fondness for corrupted souls. By accident, she passed through a crack in a secret realm and ended up in another world, inside the body of a young woman. Then she became an impersonator of the Goddess of Fertility. Heh, an actual evil god pretending to be a fake deity? How interesting. There’s a vicious stepmother, a scheming stepsister, and an unfeeli 187Reads6.7Score—14d adds
- 108 The Yin-Yang Geomancer’s Legacy 阴阳地师传 At ten years old, I slew a white serpent and subdued a hundred ghosts. The generals of the underworld called me “little brother.” Using feng shui, the art of Qimen, and Taoist magic, I solved one strange murder case after another! It all began with the corpse of a man in a cornfield! 7Reads—Score—14d adds
- 109 Tales from the Folkways of Northeast China 东北民间轶事录 [The new book, The Northeast Folk Tales: An Account of Zhong Kui, is now being serialized] [Ensemble cast + folk legends + the customs and character of Northeast China] The land and skies of the Northeast; its folk customs and its people Set in the rural Northeast of the 1990s, this book is adapted from remarkable folk legends and true events widely told across the vast lands of Northeast China. It recounts the hardships protagonist Xu Liang faced in his youth, along with the many legendary expe 3.4kReads8.8Score40314d adds
- 110 Wayfarer Between Yin and Yang 阴阳行者 The ultimate truths of heaven and earth are two: death and parting, and the way between yin and yang. I protect the living in the world of light, driving out evil and subduing demons until every specter is vanquished. I guide the dead across the Yellow Springs, and set foot upon the Bridge of Helplessness without hesitation. A traveler between the realms of yin and yang, I bear the balance of life and death on my shoulders. Have you ever seen an old sheep knock at your door, or a paper figure sp 268Reads5.6Score—14d adds
- 111 Heir to the Spirit Medium 通灵师传人 Supernatural + ghost marriage + strong female lead power fantasy + horror stories + mystery. There are ghosts in every heart. Have you ever seen anything more terrifying than a ghost? It's not about walking a dark road too often and running into an evil spirit. The deadliest thing isn't knowing that it's a ghost. It's the utterly dark heart hidden beneath that perfect face. Shh... Don't make a sound. She's right behind you. Run. Don't look back. The story is even more terrifying than you ca 20Reads—Score—14d adds
- 112 Terrifying Folk Customs: Starting with Red Paper Suppressing Spirits 恐怖民俗:从红纸压魂开始 Every night at midnight, my wife secretly gets up and makes offerings to a sheet of red paper. Corpse-driving, Gu poison, summoning souls from the underworld, feng shui that destroys families, and dark magic that prolongs life: it all began when I discovered my wife's secret. 2.6kReads8.8Score40614d adds
- 113 Strange Tales from the Countryside 乡村诡故事 Before you start this book, a warning: if you scare easily, don't read it. If you live alone, be careful. Every short ghost story here is based on an ordinary person's real-life experience. Not a single word is made up. From the damp old alleyways of the south to the frozen, deserted villages of the north; from late-night overtime in office buildings to lights-out in university dorms; the taboos our elders forbade us to talk about, and the moments you dare not dwell on in the middle of the night 119Reads—Score—14d adds
- 114 After My Face Was Stolen, I Drew the Six Realms of Living Beings 我的脸被夺走后我画出六道众生相 My face was stolen. It wasn’t disfigured. It wasn’t disguised. My face was literally gone. To stay alive, I had no choice but to paint one new face after another onto my own. Human, ghost, demon, beast, god, immortal. Every face I painted gave me a new ability. As I tried to reclaim my original face, I gradually discovered that this world was far more complicated than it seemed. 96Reads—Score12614d adds
- 115 Old Tales of Strange Happenings 民间旧诡事 The woman in red who knocks on doors late at night, the soul-binding bones beneath the locust tree, the copper-bell curse in an old house in an abandoned village... These old tales of the uncanny, scattered across the countryside, are the idle chatter of old folks and stories sealed away by time... 42Reads—Score—14d adds
- 116 Come Listen to a Ghost Story! 来听诡故事! The chime of midnight is the switch that starts each story. Hidden here are 365 eerie legends from every corner of the world. Maybe it's the strange sobbing in the night-shift office during overtime, a stranger's long hair beside your pillow in an old residential complex, or a passenger in a white dress who vanishes in front of a cemetery. One short ghost story every night, tearing through the everyday facade to reveal the chilling truth beneath. Do you dare open this collection of midnight tale 42Reads—Score514d adds
- 117 Ghost Hunter: The Big Shot Who Says One Thing and Means Another 捉鬼师:大佬他口是心非 (Just rated) [The Best of the Best x A Rookie] [A Sweet-on-the-Outside, Dark-on-the-Inside Heroine Who Grows] [One-on-One Romance] [A Touch of Reverse Harem] [Slow Burn] Rookie ghost hunter Que Yue Bai has next to no professional skills. Her only talent is latching onto Jing Mu, the “best of the best in ghost hunting.” The man is cold-faced and sharp-tongued. No one in the entire association dares raise their voice around him. Everyone says, “What a disaster. The chief Jing has been wrapped arou 4Reads8.1Score—14d adds
- 118 Even Evil Spirits Offer Me Cigarettes: I’m a Northeast Chinese Shaman 邪祟见我都递烟,我是东北出马仙 [Supernatural] + [Comedy] + [Ghost Hunting] + [No Female Lead] + [Folk Taboos] + [Not Invincible] + [No Cultivation] No specialist knowledge required; a collection of standalone stories. To support the temperamental Willow Immortal he worships at home, the spirit medium Zhao Dashun has scrubbed people’s backs at a bathhouse and set up a stall on an overpass. After capturing the Cat-Faced Granny, Zhao Dashun makes a name for himself in a single battle and sets out on the straight and narrow path 7.3kReads8.4Score75014d adds
- 119 After Years of Playing the Charlatan, I Specialize in Treating Beautiful Female Ghosts 做神棍这些年,我专治漂亮女鬼 On the day I was born, my mother had a difficult labor. To save his eldest grandson, my grandfather tore down the family’s front door and found a bloodstained kitchen knife hidden in the doorframe! As the knife came down with a clang, I was born… P.S. This is no run-of-the-mill supernatural story. Expect all kinds of mystery and twists, with a lighthearted, funny take on catching ghosts! 37Reads—Score—14d adds
- 120 Strange Tales from the Countryside 农村里的奇异怪谈 [Traditional supernatural horror + third-person narration + one female lead + no immortal cultivation] In a strange, gloomy bamboo forest, evil forces claim people’s lives. A university graduate has just returned to his village when he becomes embroiled in a series of bizarre events. In the end, he takes a master and learns the Dao. Is the mysterious woman good or evil? What other strange events will the protagonist encounter? Find out in the book. 24Reads—Score—14d adds
- 121 The Sinful Eye 罪业视界 The people they're hunting aren't the killers, but the dead. There's a rumor at the local police station that no one dares discuss openly: retired veteran detective Yan Mingguo can see the "sins" people carry. Faced with the baffling "Red-Clad Bride Serial Murder Case," rookie officer Lin Fan knocks on Yan Mingguo's battered iron door, having run out of options. After touching the evidence, the old man delivers a chilling verdict: "The killer isn't human..." "But it isn't a ghost, either." He —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 122 Back When I Was a Folk Mage 我做民间法师的时候 I entered the trade at fourteen and spent six years as a folk ritual master. In the south, this line of work is called “spirit arts.” I watched it go from thriving to decline. This year marks my sixth year, and I’ve finally left the trade behind. This work isn’t as glamorous as it looks. We’re all rats crawling out of the sewers, and the bar for entry keeps getting lower. I’m writing these stories down now as a way to remember those days. 195Reads—Score10414d adds
- 123 The Person Under the Bed, the Eye on the Wall, the Peeping Tom Outside the Door 床下的人,墙上的眼,门外的窥 The person beneath the bed, the eye on the wall, the peeping outside the door 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 124 Late-Night Convenience Store: What Are You Doing, Customer? 深夜便利店:客官你干嘛 Lin Mo thought the worst thing about working the night shift as a cashier at Nan Cheng Huimin Convenience Store was having a teammate go 0–8 in ranked, until he met the old woman in floral pajamas. She clutched a chipped enamel mug and bought only two bags of frozen dumplings and a packet of QQ candy. Her coins were caked with dirt, and she insisted he “cook the dumplings.” Then a hoarse voice called in an identical order, laughing so hard Lin Mo could feel his upper gums go cold. The creepiest 8Reads—Score—14d adds
- 125 Six Relics to Banish Evil 六器渡邪 On a stormy night, the evil box passed down through my family shattered on its own, and I became a wanted fugitive accused of several murders. My only chance of survival was to recover the six cursed artifacts scattered across the Lin family. But they weren't treasures. They were instruments of torture, each one imprisoning the soul of someone our ancestors had tortured into becoming an artifact. Soul-harvesting rice from the Hungry Ghost Realm, a mending needle used to sew together a hundred —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 126 The Scalding Gold Bracelet 烫手的金镯 Five boys set out to rob a tomb, but their greed awakened something even more terrifying beneath it. Could the ancestral gold bracelet actually be the lock on a seal? Forced to become a “living target,” Wang Erwa must uncover the truth behind a silversmith’s violent death and the sins of an old debt before the evil spirit fully awakens. 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 127 Little Dongbei 小东北 Nature has yin and yang, and society has good and evil. An imbalance between yin and yang brings chaos, but so does drawing too sharp a line between good and evil. When righteousness dwells within, evil cannot intrude. When yin is balanced and yang is secure, the spirit is at peace. Your path is yours to choose: follow your nature, let go of judgment, and wisdom will shine. The Dao moves by returning to its source. In a word, avoid extremes and don't make the same mistake twice... 370Reads7.1Score—14d adds
- 128 Girls' Dormitory 女生宿舍 Every school has its share of ghost stories, especially places steeped in yin energy, like the girls' dormitory... I'm a veteran who used to be an atheist. But it wasn't until I became a security guard at Taiping School that I learned the truth...! 223Reads8.3Score—14d adds
- 129 Is It Too Much for a Fortune Teller Like Me to Know a Little Yin-Yang Magic? 我一个算命的会点阴阳术不过分吧 [Maoshan Arts + Ghost Hunting + Face Reading + Powerful Connections + Walking Between the Yin and Yang Worlds + Team] Zhao Yang's grandfather made him study three books from a young age: the Zhouyi, the Ma Yi Divine Physiognomy, and a third book with no cover, whose contents were handwritten. After his grandfather passed away, Zhao Yang inherited his mantle. But now that cremation was the norm, all he could do was read people's feng shui, barely earning enough to get by. Just as he was thinking 318Reads—Score—14d adds
- 130 Red and White Banquets 红白席面 [Mild thrills] [A clever main cast] [One heroine] [No excessive saintliness] [All manner of evil spirits + mysterious practitioners with their own agendas] A sudden mishap at her father's funeral leads Li Sixian, a wealthy heiress, to be rescued by Gan Xin, a village banquet chef. She discovers the hidden side of the world, and, determined to spare her father the tortures of the City of Wrongful Death, she boldly chooses to become a ghost official while still alive. A rookie ghost official who k 14Reads6.5Score—14d adds
- 131 The Wicked Husband’s Seduction 邪夫撩人 I was born on the night of the Hungry Ghost Festival. From that day on, strange things kept happening in my village, and the people around me died one after another. To stay alive, I fled into the Dragon King Temple. When I came out, I found myself haunted by an invisible man... (Traditional supernatural horror + mind-bending mystery + realism) 164Reads7.4Score—14d adds
- 132 Severing the Dragon Vein 断命龙脉 The men of the Gu family never live past forty. After his father, Gu Mingyuan, dies, Gu Chenchuan follows a train ticket to Baihe, a bloodstained compass, and a few unfinished last words into the old trails of the Changbai Mountains. But the deeper he digs, the more he realizes that the Gu family has not simply been haunted or cursed. They have been caught in a living account, buried for many years, that refuses to let go. From Baihe to Tamen Peak, from the Changbai Mountains to an old well in t 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 133 Strike It Rich by Opening the Coffin 开棺发财 [Handcrafted from scratch + Traditional supernatural horror + No System + No cultivation + Extremely scary + Based on true experiences] Paper figures carry the coffin, a black dog tosses the grave, and an old man falls in love with a ghost. An opened coffin is carried home, and a beautiful fairy follows through the door. My name is Qin Yang. I was down on my luck and only hoped to make money by opening coffins. I never expected that it would turn out to be such a high-risk profession. (Friends i 1.7kReads—Score13114d adds
- 134 Horror Stories 恐怖随笔 A newly arrived, laid-back demobilized soldier; a beautiful makeup artist who keeps to herself, cool on the outside but warm inside; a group of colleagues at a funeral home, each with their own agenda; and a twisted, eerie spirit in the crematorium. As singing echoes through the midnight air, the curtain rises on death. They struggle to uncover the truth on the very edge of terror and death... 2.3kReads8.9Score21514d adds
- 135 Possessed by an Evil Spirit 撞邪 Grandpa spent his whole life doing good deeds. He never imagined that one night, he would ruin a young girl's life... 290Reads8.4Score—14d adds
- 136 The Forbidden Grounds of the Ancient Temple 古庙禁地 The old master was digging a well when he unearthed the corpse of a beautiful woman. From then on, my family was thrown into chaos. A local “expert” told my family that the only way to save my life was for me to enter the temple business, so I became a temple-restoration craftsman. A mass grave in the black pine forests of the Northeast, an airplane crash site on an uninhabited island in the Bohai Sea, a valley of medicinal herbs in the uninhabited zone of Shennongjia, and a haunted village hidd 288Reads8.2Score—14d adds
- 137 The Haunted House: The Evil God Descends 诡舍:邪神降临 [A Strange House fanfiction + horror + survival + infinite loop] Ning Qiushui sealed the Gray Sun, bringing the calamity of the old world to an end. But the Heavenly Dao demands balance between yin and yang. With the old evil destroyed, an even more powerful evil god was born. After lying dormant for ages, the Strange House's blood-red door appeared once more. The blood-red door swung open. Yin and yang were reversed, the underworld fell, and the six paths were severed. A new generation of S 8Reads—Score—14d adds
- 138 With a Hide Drum and a Spirit Dance, I Summon the Hu and Huang Spirits 拿皮鼓,跳大神,我请胡黄 [The Earliest and Purest Supernatural Tales] [Rituals and Chants for Spirit-Medium Ceremonies] [Anatomizing Fate, Destiny, and Reincarnation] [Ensemble Cast, Reasons to Fight] I'm a spirit medium. More accurately, I'm a little con artist. After Old Crooked-Eye picked me up one night when I was a child, he gave me the name Xiao Ye. But Xiao couldn't be a surname, so I changed my family name to Xiao. From then on, Old Crooked-Eye and I made our living by swindling people. I thought we'd go on like 9Reads—Score—14d adds
- 139 Sun Pupil, Moonless Night: I Know the End from the Start! 日瞳月晦:开局我已知晓终末! [Supernatural] ~ [Mystery] ~ [Mind Games] ~ [Plot Twists] ~ [No Idiot Plots] The first time was at a casino. I won every last chip in the place, but I couldn’t escape the strange curse that clung to me. Luckily, when I woke up, the game hadn’t started yet. The second time, death came calling at midnight. The rules offered no way out. I watched the skin being peeled from my body inch by inch, helpless to stop it. The nightmare wouldn’t go away. The third time, the fourth time... Death played out 5Reads—Score—14d adds
- 140 A Ghost Lurks in My Right Eye: A Decade-Old Murder Hidden in the Old Building's Brick Wall 右眼栖鬼:老楼砖墙藏十年命案 A Ghost Dwells in Her Right Eye: A Decade-Old Murder Hidden in the Bricks of an Old Building 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 141 Mystery and Detective Notes 悬疑推理笔记 My new work is out! Welcome to read it on Tomato Novels. I hope you enjoy it. Your support inspires me to write, and I'll do my best to tell every story well! 39Reads—Score—14d adds
- 142 Old Alley Sound Repair: At Midnight Tonight, Qin Opera Calls the Souls 旧巷声修:今夜子时,秦腔引魂 [One Heroine + Sound Cultivation + Qin Opera + Livestreaming + Supernatural Mystery + Urban + Adventure] In modern society, information explodes across the world, and human negativity is amplified through social media, forming an immense “Tide of Resentment.” If no one guides and dispels it, within three years it will gather into a “Lament of Doomsday,” and the boundary between the worlds of yin and yang will collapse completely. Humanity’s power comes from “the Power of Wishes”: energy formed w —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 143 Coffin Shop No. 444 棺材铺444号 In the vast north stands an old town forgotten by time and snow: Qishan Town. At its eastern end is a shop older than the town itself. It has no sign, but everyone knows its address: 444. It is a coffin shop. The Lin family coffin shop has been passed down for 347 years. Its keeper has always been the sole heir of each generation, and every one has obeyed a strict rule: close the doors at sunset; if someone knocks at midnight, do not answer if they are alive. They say answering will awaken thin 13Reads—Score214d adds
- 144 A Fading Lamp Shines on the Lonely Dead 残灯照孤冥 (Mystery + supernatural + no female lead) (Ghost case files + Taoist arts) (Tomato Original) The male lead is born under the fate of a lone star of calamity, destined to walk alone. A dying lamp lights the lonely darkness, and that darkness lights me in turn. 331Reads—Score—14d adds
- 145 With My Heart, I Question Heaven’s Heart 我以己心问天心 His master’s soul lamp is about to go out, but the Underworld Division has already come to claim his soul, and the Directorate of Fate has secretly altered his lifespan. The young Daoist Chen Shaowei travels from Yunzhou to the capital, uncovering the secrets of the Temple of Heaven, the black accounts of the Ghost Market, and old entanglements in Fengdu along the way. Only then does he realize that the ones devouring people are not a single person or one department, but an old web spanning both 1Reads6.9Score12514d adds
- 146 The Spirit Medium's Revelation 出马仙启示录 I’m a shamanic practitioner from Northeast China, also known as a great immortal. These days, so many people get scammed and end up buried in debt, then go mad. It really worries me, though I also think they’re foolish. I’ll share my own experiences and stories from fellow practitioners to talk about Northeast China’s shamanic tradition, and warn people not to get scammed. (For special reasons, I can’t be too direct with ordinary readers, so I’ll express things obliquely.) 6Reads6.5Score—14d adds
- 147 Frightening Folk Tales of Ghosts and Monsters 民间吓人的鬼怪故事 This book collects folk tales about ghosts and monsters from China and around the world, both ancient and modern. They include deeply moving love stories, myths where good and evil are repaid in kind, and eerie tales that will leave you trembling with fear. We hope you enjoy them. This story is entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual events or people is purely coincidental. 24Reads—Score—14d adds
- 148 Folk Tales: A Daily Dose of Horror 民间怪谈:每日恐怖奇说 Which is more terrifying, humans or ghosts, or perhaps something unseen and even more frightening? With its distinctive narrative style, this book brings readers a series of spine-chilling horror stories. In this book, you will follow different protagonists into worlds filled with terror and eerie unease. From mysterious ancient buildings to remote, desolate places, and from ordinary everyday life to bizarre supernatural phenomena, every story is packed with unexpected twists and horrifying mome 277Reads—Score—14d adds
- 149 Folk Horror Stories You’ve Definitely Heard 你一定听过的民间恐怖故事 This story is entirely fictional and has nothing to do with the real world. Any resemblance is purely coincidental. At his sixth birthday banquet, evil spirits devoured his entire family in their dreams. Gu Chen, the young heir of a wealthy family, had his memories forcibly erased by men in black. All that remained were fragments of nightmares: a diamond-shaped badge, red-eyed guests who devoured dreams, and a gun that erased memories. Ten years later, he tracks down the city’s supernatural inci 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 150 I Heard of Strange Things That Year: Never Read This Late at Night 那年听闻怪事,千万别深夜翻看 These stories are adapted and fictionalized from various experiences shared by friends. They are written in an accessible style and make for a good way to unwind. A reminder: reject superstition. This is all imaginative fiction. Any similarities to real events are purely coincidental, so don't take it seriously! 11Reads—Score—14d adds

















































