Novels like Strange Tales of Southeast Asia
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as Strange Tales of Southeast Asia, best match first.
- 1 I'll Accept a Yellow Immortal's Request for a Title, but You're Just a Huge Rat 黄仙讨封我认，可你是大耗子 It all began when a rat demon asked to be granted a human form and was refused, setting off a series of bizarre events. Feng Wuxie has blundered his way through life up to now, unaware that his grandfather had long ago prepared an escape route to help him evade his calamity. His grandfather went to his death in high spirits, and the reason he was so closely tied to Feng Wuxie remains a mystery. But what is coming will come. There’s no escaping it. The vicious old corpse-chaser Yin Hou Tan insist 4Reads—Score—14d adds
- 2 Midnight: Strange Tales 午夜，诡故事 There are things city folk refuse to believe and country folk dare not mention. I wrote them down to warn you: there are places you must not go, and things you must not do. Don’t ask whether they’re real. Ask, and they’ll answer right beside your ear. Before you open this, make sure no one is behind you. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 3 There's a Lot of Resentment About You 你身上怨气有点重 In the dead of night, a terrifying incantation slays ghosts; talismans and forbidden arts cut down demons and evil spirits. When resentment fills the air and the wind chimes ring, the bar manager keeps the Yellow Springs at bay. Ask who I am: Mao Xiaoyu, free beneath heaven and earth. When trouble comes, go to Xiaoyu. I’ll bring peace to the living and the dead. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 4 The Midnight Chef 午夜厨师 I wanted to become a master chef, but by accident I ended up at a restaurant as the exclusive chef for the basement level. The eerie atmosphere, the strange rules, the extra pair of black leather shoes, the missing underground parking garage… One terrifying incident after another left me with no choice but to believe that the people dining here weren’t human! 25Reads—Score—14d adds
- 5 A Bloody Night in Jiling Village 寂岭村血夜 This novel contains depictions of human nature and graphic violence. Readers under 18 should read with a parent or guardian. On December 4, 1994, a small mountain village in eastern Shenzhong City, near the border with Huizhou City, was the site of an unprecedented major crime. It later became known as “Shenzhong’s Sealed Village.” “Help me! Everyone’s been killed!” “Hello, this is Danao Police Station. What happened?” “There’s a ghost! A ghost is here! N-no, don’t come any closer! P-please, hel 17Reads—Score—14d adds
- 6 A Food Courier's Path to Exorcism 外卖员的驱邪之路 Can you believe that Yu, the legendary Great Yu who tamed the floods, has become a delivery driver thousands of years later? And his time-crossing encounter with Nüjiao, daughter of the Tushan clan, is all the more heartbreaking! Follow the growth of a delivery driver across a thousand years! Was it fate, or a plan four thousand years in the making?! 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 7 Let Me Tell You a Little Story, It's Not Scary at All (Six-Volume Set) 我讲个小故事，一点儿都不吓人（全六册） Fear should remain hidden in the subconscious and fade away without a trace, yet it always leaves clues in everyday life. In an alley where the sunset has slipped out of sight, in a corner turned away from the neon lights, an elegant lady sits outside a café, casting ill-intentioned sidelong glances at passersby. These signs show that when people find themselves in darkness beyond the reach of sunlight, fear swells in an instant like a shadow and closes in around them. Come, step into my stories —Reads8.1Score—14d adds
- 8 Terror in the Desolate Village 荒村惊魂 I entered a village inhabited entirely by women. I thought I’d found a man’s paradise, but after a series of bizarre events, I realized things weren’t so simple… 158Reads5.8Score—14d adds
- 9 The First Strange Tale of the Countryside 乡野第一怪谈 Funeral Mound Village is an ancient, remote place surrounded by burial hills. Corpses roam everywhere, and the yin energy is overwhelming. There are walking corpses, weasels as fat as pigs, malevolent gods that wreak havoc, bizarre Gu witches, Xi spirits, evil Jian ghosts... One paranormal incident after another... 117Reads6.6Score—14d adds
- 10 Livestream Fortune-Telling: Exorcisms and Face Reading, Guaranteed! 直播算命：驱邪看相妥妥的！ [System + supernatural + wild imagination] On the first day of his livestream, Du Jie gets a call from a popular female streamer. A feng shui problem? Easy! The cases that follow are much trickier, and each one is more bizarre than the last! A ghost baby? A paper effigy? The strange illness in Xiangyang Village, the Five Elements fortune-borrowing ritual... Are all these bizarre events testing my cultivation? Forget it. I'd better call on the Grandmaster! 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 11 White Night of Terror: I’m Even More Savage Than the Vengeful Ghosts 白夜惊悚：我比猛鬼更生猛 [Horror and Suspense + Twists and Foreshadowing + Hilarious Stress Relief + Urban Ghost-Hunting + Decisive and Ruthless] Can't afford a house? I hear there's a long-abandoned mansion at 014 Taiping Street! Can't afford a car? They say luxury sports cars have been spotted at the suburban cemetery! Short on connections and cash? Take trillions in underworld banknotes to the ghost market and spend like a king! In this terrifying post-apocalyptic world, I'm the hottest guy beneath the night sky! My —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 12 Ghosts Knock at Midnight! 半夜鬼敲门！ Zhou Ming moved into an old, cheap apartment, unaware that it concealed a terrifying secret from twenty years ago. Every night at midnight, three knocks sounded on his door, right on time. But when he looked through the peephole, no one was there. Then, one rainy night, he looked through the peephole and saw a twisted, misshapen face staring fixedly at him… As he investigated further, Zhou Ming discovered that the apartment had once been home to Lin Xiaowan, a girl who had gone missing. Her d 17Reads—Score—14d adds
- 13 Rules of the Gods: I Have Only Six Months to Live 神明规则：我只剩半年生命 [The Old World Ends, a New Covenant Begins] The mysterious realm and reality are colliding again and again. The mysterious has begun invading the world, and the residents of the old world are locked in fierce battle with the entities of the New Covenant. Who truly deserves to rule the world? Ye Ze, terminally ill and driven by a fierce will to survive, was invited by the [God] to the [Amusement Park]. Countless people came here to take part in all kinds of scenarios, driven by desires for money, 83Reads8.2Score—14d adds
- 14 Haunted House No. 444 444号凶宅 When people hear about a haunted house, most think of evil spirits, restless ghosts, and hauntings. But few know that the spirits in these houses can actually be cleansed. At a chance gathering, I was led into Room 444. Only afterward did I learn that it was the crime scene of the infamous Bloody Rose case. The people I had met inside were all spirits haunting the house... Take a deep dive into the haunted-house culture hidden among ordinary people! 62Reads6.5Score—14d adds
- 15 The Terrifying Asylum 恐怖疯人院 [Traditional supernatural fiction] + [Traditional mystery] + [Twists] + [Deduction] A tribute to The Last Bus on Route 13. My girlfriend, Tian Wenjing, was an intern doctor at a psychiatric hospital, but she died mysteriously while working there. To investigate what happened, I somehow ended up at the same hospital. After experiencing all kinds of bizarre events, I discovered a tremendous conspiracy lurking behind it. And somehow, this conspiracy was closely connected to me... 656Reads8.0Score—14d adds
- 16 The Most Realistic Mystery and Horror Stories 最真实的悬疑恐怖故事 [Mystery] [Thriller] [Supernatural] This book brings together a host of captivating, gripping mystery stories, like a grand door slowly opening onto a world of enigmatic deduction and drawing you ever deeper until you can no longer escape. On this strange journey, shrouded in layers of mystery, every story is like a winding, intricate maze. They wait for you to venture inside, follow each thread, and unravel the shocking truth concealed behind layer upon layer of fog. 4Reads—Score—14d adds
- 17 Love on Route 11 情迷11路 While other people are born with jade in their mouths, I was born with a stone in mine. After my first love dumped me, the little stone around my neck went missing too, and I became a walking jinx. Dogs chased me whenever I went out, I got rear-ended on my bike, and even my chances at love disappeared. I became an unwanted old maid, so I gritted my teeth, stamped my foot, and went to the city to work as a bus driver. By a twist of fate, though, I ended up driving the number 11 night route. And t 11Reads—Score—14d adds
- 18 Don't Read If You're a Coward! One Ghost Story Every Day! 胆小勿进！每天一个鬼故事！ A series of urban ghost stories Every chapter tells a different tale There’s sure to be one you’ll enjoy When the novels you’re following haven’t updated yet Read some urban ghost stories in the meantime 4Reads—Score—14d adds
- 19 Strange Tales from Liaozhai: Ghost Stories and Unsolved Mysteries 聊斋秘闻鬼魅传说与未解之谜 A collection of suspenseful short stories inspired by Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio and Chinese folk legends! Your follows and support motivate me to write. I’ll do my best to bring you even better stories! Fresh off the press! Leave a review, and I’ll keep improving! 1Reads8.3Score—14d adds
- 20 Ghost Stories by Night 鬼话夜谈 The story follows Chen Xingchen and Jiang Chuyan, who grew up together in a village. They hear tales of the supernatural from the village elders and experience a number of eerie events themselves. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 21 Haunted 撞邪 Can you guarantee that the people around you are really human? A lowly office worker had always kept his head down and worked in silence, until one day he accidentally discovered that his coworkers weren’t human at all… To stay alive, he has to pretend everything is normal, struggling to survive in the narrow cracks of this place day after day… 4.2kReads8.4Score30414d adds
- 22 Is This the Funeral Parlor? 是那间丧葬店吗？ A funeral goods shop that looks completely out of place has suddenly opened on a bustling shopping street. It keeps its doors shut during the day and opens for business by night. Qi Shiwu, born at an hour of yin, accidentally becomes a shop assistant. What connection could she have to this place? Follow Shiwu as she opens the shop’s doors! “Shh! A customer’s here!” 102Reads—Score—14d adds
- 23 Someone's Always Covering My Shift, Turning Me into the Company's Model Employee! 总有人替我上班，替我卷成公司模范！ Someone's Always Filling In for Me, Working Overtime to Make Me the Company's Model Employee! —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 24 The Curse of Sorrowful Love Lake Island 悲恋湖岛的魔咒 A tragic love affair haunts the island on Lake Sorrow, where a century-old curse follows like a shadow. Is David Crane's million-dollar prize a gift from fate, or an invitation to the abyss? An ebony bracelet conceals a mystery, a key of ultraviolet light opens a forbidden door, silicon-based blood algae whisper in the dark, and the shadow of a sacrificial ritual quietly descends. Science and witchcraft clash fiercely, while the line between reality and illusion blurs. To escape their family's f 2Reads7.7Score—14d adds
- 25 The Forbidden Zone of the Living 活人禁地 My dad forced me to eat something I shouldn’t have. On the seventh day after he died, I saw him outside, playing a suona… 63Reads6.6Score—14d adds
- 26 The Boarding School Deep in the Mountains 大山深处的寄宿学校 This is a fully enclosed school built deep in the mountains. Strange things began happening as soon as she arrived. Just how many secrets is she hiding? And why is the school tucked away in the mountains? It all began the day she transferred. 679Reads8.4Score13114d adds
- 27 Do I Look Human or Like a Ghost? 你看我是人还是鬼？ After graduating from high school, I was guarding watermelons in a melon field. One night, a thief came to steal them. I rushed over and fought him, driving him off, but then I came down with a high fever that wouldn't break. The next day, my family went to check the field. All they found were my own chaotic footprints and the watermelons trampled into mush... —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 28 Room 414 at Three in the Morning: Four Best Friends 夜半三更414房四闺蜜 Three Roommates in Room 414 at the Dead of Night 27Reads—Score—14d adds
- 29 Notes from a Haunted House 凶宅笔录 A haunted house is a house where someone once met a violent death. Legend has it that people who die this way haven't yet reached the end of their natural lifespan, so they die with deep resentment. Anyone who moves in will suffer, at best, a life of misery, and at worst, a broken family and ruin. By a twist of fate, I became a dealer in haunted houses. They kept appearing, and one crisis followed another. Behind every haunted house lay a terrifying, secret story... By the time I wanted to turn 10.4kReads8.8Score22114d adds
- 30 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
- 31 Walking Between Yin and Yang, I Took Two Vengeful Ghosts as Aunts 行走阴阳，我认了两个厉鬼作姑姑 [Supernatural + Horror + Ghost Stories + Urban + Ghost Hunting + Taoist Magic] He was punching ghost dolls and kicking fox spirits at the age of three, and you tell me that's reasonable? He's a yin-yang master who took two vengeful ghosts as his aunts, and you tell me that's perfectly normal? You can already fly on a sword, and now you're telling me to believe in science and reject superstition? Beating up evil spirits at the funeral home, making a water ghost copy out the Tao Te Ching, and sicc 82Reads6.2Score—14d adds
- 32 Spirit-Sending Diary 送灵日记 She died with her eyes open, her body piled among countless corpses, her resentment reaching the heavens. She sings at night in the barren hills, waiting desperately for someone from her past, her devotion unchanged. They haunt an old mansion, their ghostly forms harming the living. There are no evil spirits in this world. They are all people who were hurt. I'm an unconventional spirit guide. I listen to the dead, resolve their lingering grievances, and lay their souls to rest. This is my work d 355Reads7.6Score—14d adds
- 33 Subduing Evil 镇邪 [China's first mystery novel to reveal the customs of the ancient Dongnu Kingdom] A mysterious old town, an ancient profession, and a rash of strange events. Friend or foe, it's impossible to tell! A peculiar custom from the ancient Dongnu Kingdom, and the source of sins passed down for thousands of years. Terror at the fifth watch, bizarre murder cases: are they vengeful ghosts, a curse, or the evil in people's hearts? A bloodstained clay pot, bells and drums offered in worship, kindhearted peo 162Reads5.2Score—14d adds
- 34 The Haunting of the New Home 搬家诡事 [Mystery + Thriller + Supernatural + Horror + No Female Lead + Smart Protagonist] His name was Yi Jibo. After he was wrongfully imprisoned, his mother fell ill and died. To pay off his gambling debts, his father sold her ashes to the Japanese through a crematorium driver. To get his mother's ashes back, Yi Jibo went to work at a Japanese funeral home. And so he burned Japanese corpses while searching for his mother's ashes… 18Reads—Score—14d adds
- 35 Folklore and the Supernatural: My Campus Crush Is a Fox Demon 民俗灵异：我的校花学姐是狐妖 [First-person narration + talking to myself + pure romance + supernatural + beast-girl] My name is Lin Mu, an utterly ordinary sophomore in high school. My only hobby is studying folk legends, and I dream of becoming a novelist. I thought my life would consist of skipping class to play video games and documenting weird internet stories, until one day, at an internet cafe, I saw Su Yu Jue, the aloof upperclasswoman who had everyone at school talking, with a pair of fluffy fox ears sprouting from 5Reads—Score—14d adds
- 36 Subway Hauntings 地铁诡事 Supernatural stories often circulate about the subway in the capital: People carrying a sedan chair through the tunnel at Yonghegong Station; the last subway train at 11:30 p.m., running with its lights off; passengers who mysteriously die on the tracks, only for the last surveillance footage to reveal that they were pushed off the platform by a pair of invisible hands... Are these rumors just urban legends, or are they real? At first, I didn’t believe them either. But one night, when I accid 794Reads8.7Score10914d adds
- 37 A Call from Three Lives, A Call Three Times 三生来电，三声来电 The heroine's family fortune is seized through the schemes of three utterly evil forces: bandits, the military, and merchants. Her parents are wrongly accused and die in prison, while she is repeatedly violated by bandits beside their funeral altar, until she takes her own life before her parents' spirits. In a time of chaos, human lives are worth no more than weeds. The heroine can only become a vengeful ghost, embarking on a century-long revenge spanning three lifetimes. She calls the three f 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 38 The Fog City Funeral Director 雾都殡葬师 A strange fog has engulfed the city for three years. Daylight looks like dusk, and the nights are pitch-black. The living dare not venture outside at will. There are things in the fog that devour people and imitate the voices of their loved ones to call them by name. The authorities can do nothing, so all kinds of folk practitioners have emerged: exorcists, feng shui masters, dream interpreters, talisman makers, and funeral specialists who guide souls to the afterlife. The protagonist, Pei Wujia —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 39 Mystery, Horror, the Supernatural, and Folklore: Fourth Auntie? Where Did I Get a Fourth Auntie?! 【悬疑惊悚+灵异+民俗】四姑婆？我哪儿来的四姑婆！ [Mystery and suspense + the supernatural + folk customs] Great-Aunt Four? Where would I even get a Great-Aunt Four?! —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 40 A Dream of Brocade, A Heart of Rippling Waters 锦梦澜心 Life is like the pages of a book, turning gently. Sometimes it overflows with sunshine, and sometimes dark clouds gather. But that is what makes the good things all the more precious. Pay attention, and you’ll find surprises hidden everywhere in life. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 41 Records of a Hundred Ghosts 百鬼事录 [Short Story Collection] + [Based on True Events] + [Folk Paranormal] + [Chinese-Style Horror] + [Urban Legends] + [Standalone Stories] Two hundred standalone horror stories, with no dragging things out. Every story delivers a jolt to the heart, with supernatural encounters, suspense, and eerie mysteries taking turns onstage. No lengthy buildup, just instant scares. Not for the faint of heart! 288Reads8.4Score—14d adds
- 42 Tomb of Terror: My Haunted Forest Expedition 古墓惊魂，我的恐怖森林探险之旅 Terror in the Ancient Tomb: My Adventure Through a Haunted Forest 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 43 Don’t Call My Name at Midnight 半夜不要喊我名字 Believe it or not, this is a true story. She is Yang Xiaofan, dumped by a man who had been using her for her money, then left with nothing. With almost no savings left, she had no choice but to move into a deserted house. The mysterious landlord disappeared without a trace after his first appearance. After midnight, terrifying knocks and calls to summon spirits put her life in danger. A black cat that comes and goes appears at strange moments, then vanishes without a trace. Again and again, I wa 1.2kReads8.3Score—14d adds
- 44 The Eerie Immortal’s Box 诡仙魔盒 [Mystery] + [Eerie] + [Xuanhuan] + [Thriller] + [Mind-Bending] + [One Female Lead] Chen Tong, a young man struggling to make a living in the city, returns to his hometown to attend his grandfather's funeral... But he unexpectedly discovers that his grandfather's death was shrouded in mystery. He comes into possession of a mysterious golden-thread nanmu box, and everything begins to turn Eerie... The grandfather of a female classmate from his village also dies. The monks and Taoist priests hired —Reads8.3Score—14d adds
- 45 There Are No Evil Dogs on Evil Dog Ridge 恶狗岭没有恶狗 There Are No Vicious Dogs on Evil Dog Ridge 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 46 The Conspiracy Behind the Terrifying Calls 恐怖电话背后的阴谋 The conspiracy behind the horror phone 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 47 Redemption and Rebirth in the Darkness 黑暗中的救赎与新生 Salvation and New Life in the Darkness 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 48 Terror Underground: My Journey of Adventure and Growth 地道惊魂，我的探险与成长 Terror Underground: My Adventure and Growth —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 49 The Abandoned Wife's Desert Island Adventure 弃妇的荒岛冒险之旅 An Abandoned Wife's Adventure on a Deserted Island 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 50 The Northern School Yin-Yang Master 北派阴阳师 I'm a corpse carrier and a second-rate Taoist. My father refined my mother into a Yin child to bring him wealth, and now he wants to make me disappear for good. The only person I've ever truly been at odds with is my father, the old fraud known as Chen Banxian... 157Reads—Score—14d adds
