Novels like Strange Tales from Republican-Era Sanjiang
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as Strange Tales from Republican-Era Sanjiang, best match first.
- 51 The Haunted House 诡异之家 Three of us went up the mountain to pick mushrooms, but there were four of us when we came back. I desperately told my parents there was an extra person, but they laughed and said I was imagining things. Until, in the middle of the night, I heard them whisper, “She seems to have noticed.” Mom gripped the meat cleaver and sneered. “Just kill her like we did the last one. Then everything will be fine.” —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 52 The Intern Who Died at His Desk 死在工位上的实习生 On my first day at my new company, the boss said, “Remember, you must leave before seven.” I thought it was a perk, until my coworker Xiaojuan saw a woman with “limbs like bamboo poles” in the empty office next door. The next day, she jumped to her death. That night, I worked overtime until 7:01. Suddenly, someone cut the power, and a freezing hand slipped inside my collar. The cleaning lady appeared in the darkness. “Run! Everyone on this floor has been dead for ages, except you!” —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 53 Please Do Not Use the Voice Button 请不要使用发声按钮 At midnight, my dog pressed the talking buttons in the living room: [Mom] [Bad thing] [Went out]. I was too sleepy to pay attention, until it pressed them again: [Mom] [Hungry] [Want food]. But my dog was fast asleep at my feet. The living room was empty, except for the overturned dog bowl and the soaked buttons. My best friend said, “Cats and dogs can see things people can’t.” I tried to stay calm, but then I felt a dog leash tucked between the sofa cushions. It wasn’t mine... Just then, the be —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 54 Manor of Strange Tales 庄园怪谈 I came to Cloudtop Manor to look for clues about my younger sister’s disappearance. When the gates closed, the manor’s steward told us: “You can only leave once you find the key.” Each of us was given a list of rules about the manor: “Do not set foot in the red house to the east. It will bring misfortune!!!” “Do not wander around the manor after eleven o’clock!!!” “Do not pick a single rose in the manor, or you may bring a deadly disaster upon yourself!!!” The remaining rules are still “unlockin —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 55 The Door Guardian Statue 门神像 The company is built on a mass grave, and every night, “something” follows me into the bathroom. My boyfriend told me to put up a Door God poster, but I accidentally put up a “Yin-Gathering Formation” instead. Ever since, the ghostly knocks at my door haven’t stopped. He said that repeating “I do” three times would drive away the evil spirits. But after I actually said it for the third time... I realized he didn’t want me. He wanted my body. The male ghost who’d been chasing me kept whispering i —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 56 Beware of Yourself 小心你自己 Every Wednesday, a note warning me would appear in the company suggestion box. I thought it was a prank. I thought my colleague Lin Hao was getting revenge, until the police shot him dead in my living room. The last note said: “Watch out for yourself.” I turned around and saw my wife raise a knife —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 57 The Vengeful Ghost 怨鬼 My roommate sobbed as if her heart were breaking every night. I posted online to complain, and a female Taoist priest messaged me: “She’s not human. She’s a vengeful ghost. The more often she cries, the sooner you’ll die.” I didn’t believe it, until one night she bit into my wrist and smiled. “Have a taste.” I ran, she chased me, and the Taoist priest Jiang Yu handed me a string of bodhi beads. “Put them on. They’ll protect you.” I put them on, and she smiled. It turned out this wasn’t a protect 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 58 Knock on the Door and Die 敲门会送死 An delivery driver chasing online views deliberately targeted orders marked “Don’t knock.” This time, he’d picked the wrong person. He pounded on the door, picked the lock, and stormed into my home with a group of people, shouting to the millions watching his livestream, “Come out and apologize, beautiful!” Cradling the ghost baby, I said softly, “Go eat, sweetheart.” The next second, a tiny blue-gray figure pounced That night, every viewer in the livestream remembered: Some doors, once knocked —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 59 Please Find My Body 请寻找我的尸体 I’m Hell Butterfly, a mystery writer who never shows her face. One day, I launched a puzzle game called “Find My Body,” and the whole internet thought I was just drumming up publicity. Until someone really found the body of a woman in white beside an abandoned building. Posing as a reporter, I called the police and pointed out “my own” corpse to them. Everyone thought the dead woman was me, not knowing she was my younger sister, who had been missing for half a year. The real killer lived in the —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 60 The Night Shift Guard 夜班保安 On my first day as a night-shift security guard, I found my predecessor’s patrol notes in a locker The last page was scrawled with the words, “Don’t trust Captain Wang. He’s been dead for seven years.” At that very moment, in the monitoring room, Wang Shouquan was staring at a screen full of static and smiling, his corpse-spotted hand clutching an employee badge from twenty years ago. And I’d just seen another uniformed version of him patrolling the fourth floor. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 61 Last Train: No Living Passengers Allowed! 末班车，活人勿进！ The card reader let out a series of warning beeps, and the driver handed me a note: Don’t speak to anyone on the bus, or you’ll die. I turned around and saw Lin Shen, the senior I’d had a crush on for five years, sitting in the back. He was dressed in a suit, but his head was slick with cold sweat. “Everyone on this bus except us is a ghost,” he whispered. The next second, the wound on my wrist suddenly split open, and a drop of blood fell. Every passenger turned to stare at once. I recognized t —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 62 A Thousand-Year-Old Zombie Awakens! And Becomes a Celebrity Ghost Hunter 千年僵尸苏醒！竟成网红捉鬼师 My name is Jiang Shi, and I’m a thousand-year-old jiangshi. But after waking from a long slumber, I took on a new identity. I’m going to become an internet-famous ghost hunter. 43Reads—Score114d adds
- 63 The Ghost Whisperer 鬼语者 I’m a nurse, and I can talk to ghosts. After working night shifts for so long, I’ve seen my share of strange things. The nurses were chatting about the weird things that had been happening lately. Every night at midnight, we could hear the sound of a woman’s high heels. Click... click... click... “It’s so creepy. It’s our turn on the night shift tonight. What are we going to do?” Xiao Zhang asked nervously, clutching my sleeve. “What’s there to panic about? It’s normal for ghosts to show up in a —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 64 The Woman Eaten by a Cat 被猫吃掉的女人 Ten years ago, I handled a child abduction case. The child was never found, and the mother drank herself into a stupor every day. One day, she got drunk and passed out in an abandoned house on the outskirts of town. Dozens of rabid feral cats devoured her, leaving behind only a pile of bones. Many years later, I ran into the woman who’d been eaten by cats in a small town. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 65 Terrifying Supernatural Events I Experienced Myself 亲身经历的恐怖灵异事件 Terrifying supernatural encounters I experienced firsthand 8Reads—Score114d adds
- 66 A Different Path Through Maoshan 不一样的茅山之路 This book has been completely rewritten, with an even more exciting story full of humor and passion. Stay tuned and follow Yang Fei as he sets out on an extraordinary journey, amid extraordinary sights, along an extraordinary Maoshan path!! Ghosts, demons, evil Taoists: Yang Fei will take you across haunted lands and along a Maoshan path like no other!!! 6Reads—Score—14d adds
- 67 The Heaven-Mandated Ghost Tamer 天命驭鬼人 [Traditional · Supernatural · Suspense] I was born from a corpse, and the day I was born, my parents died because of me. Yin and yang clash, and my fate is marked by the Seven Killings. An orphan's grave, a green-clad sky lantern, Qin Mao shadow puppets, a portrait of a blood-eyed beauty… All the ghosts bow before me. Clad in a yellow robe, I wield wondrous powers. 253Reads5.9Score—14d adds
- 68 The Underworld Shop 阴间铺子 [No System + traditional story + male and female leads + supernatural tales] After losing my job, I took over this funeral parlor, but all sorts of supernatural incidents started happening at night. Burned-to-death ghosts, drowned ghosts... After the parlor, a yellow weasel spirit that had become an adult made a bone-chilling discovery... Challenges faced together with my childhood sweetheart from elementary school. 40Reads—Score—14d adds
- 69 Strange Tales of Southeast Asia 东南亚诡事 (The author has opened a coffee shop in the ancient city of Dali and is busy with renovations. Please wait a little while for updates.) My name is Ning. During college, I went alone to Thailand to intern at a hotel, where a series of bizarre and inexplicable things happened. Why was there a temple built inside the hotel? What secrets did this temple hide? 7Reads—Score—14d adds
- 70 My 1990s Field Notes on Folk Ghost Stories 我的90年代民间志怪见闻录 Jia Nanxing, a young man from a mountain village, chance upon a stone statue and has an extraordinary encounter. Facing all kinds of strange events in the world, “zombies, evil spirits, witchcraft”, he braves countless dangers and later meets Jiang Wangyou, a mysterious female classmate. As they cultivate, the two travel around the world dealing with supernatural incidents. The story features transmigration, antique appraisal, and adventure. Supernatural fantasy all in one, along with all kinds 11Reads—Score—14d adds
- 71 Zhang Laosan Tells Stories 张老三讲故事 Long, long ago, a strange calamity struck Kaoshan Village, deep in the old forests of Northeast China. Hunter Li Dashan kept watch over a coffin on a snowy night and encountered a weasel spirit that spoke like a human, asking him to give it a title. One careless remark from him exposed a bloody secret from twenty years earlier. When the statue of the Yellow Immortal on the ancestral hall’s altar split with bloody cracks on the night of a lunar eclipse, when a golden-haired weasel burst from a pe 8Reads—Score—14d adds
- 72 The Yin Master of the Living World 阳间葬阴师 I am Shen Xu, born under an ill-starred fate. On the day I was born, ghosts swarmed around me, and I barely survived my first twelve years. The day before I turned twelve, my grandfather used a living corpse hidden in a coffin to conceal my fate, while a nine-lived black cat upset the balance of yin and yang. He put my coffin on a little cart and sent it to the Xuanqing Temple on Mount Taiqing. From that day on, I set out on an uncanny and unpredictable path through the esoteric arts... 365Reads8.9Score10014d adds
- 73 The King of Face Reading 观相之王 This novel is complex and brainy, not a lightweight read. If that’s not your thing, don’t read it. Ensemble cast + mind games + the supernatural + climbing the ranks and getting rich + foretelling good and bad fortune + solving mysteries through face reading and divination. “I’d like to ask about my health using the character ‘six.’” “Certainly. The character ‘six’ looks like a person dismembered into several pieces, with the head separated from the body.” Why are some people blessed with endle 5Reads—Score—14d adds
- 74 Miaojiang Yin-Yang Gu 苗疆阴阳蛊 Miaojiang Yin-Yang Gu 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 75 The Yin-Yang Divine Doctor 阴阳医神 Wang An is armed with ghost needles and a Demon-Beating Whip, and can control eight flying swords with his mind. He uses his skills to join the Paranormal Affairs Bureau, where he specializes in supernatural cases. During a mission, he uncovers a plot by Zhong Kui of the underworld. Zhong Kui plans to slaughter the living to expand his ranks of followers, build private temples to gather merit, and overthrow Emperor Yindu so he can rule in his place. The case also brings his family’s past to ligh 4Reads—Score—14d adds
- 76 Ghosts, Help! Wait, How Do I Say I Can Eat Ghosts? 鬼啊救命，结果我会吃鬼怎么说啊 Help! There’s a ghost! I was just an ordinary office worker, living a dull nine-to-five life. Who could have imagined that this company outing would become the most terrifying experience of my life? The company decided to hold an unusual outdoor cookout in the mountains, supposedly to help everyone relax and get to know one another better. When our group arrived at the mountain, the sun was shining. Light filtered through the thick leaves, dappling the ground, while a gentle breeze carried the f —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 77 Maoshan Edict for Slaying Evil 茅山斩邪令 Chen Xuan, the nineteenth-generation successor of Maoshan, descends from the mountain at eighteen to enter the mortal world. With a single talisman, he subdues a hundred ghosts; with a wooden sword, he cuts down every evil spirit! In a mountain village, a hanging ghost comes to claim lives. In an ancient town, a water ghost drags people under. A deserted village hides the secrets of a lantern made from human skin... Other people go weak in the knees when they see a ghost. Chen Xuan draws his s 6Reads—Score—14d adds
- 78 A Terrifying New Year's Eve 惊悚除夕夜 On New Year’s Eve, I was driven mad by the nonstop kitchen noise from upstairs. I bombarded the tenants’ group chat with voice messages. “I just want to know which lunatic is cooking in the middle of the night! Are you making food for ghosts?” Someone replied almost immediately. “Don’t you know we make our New Year’s Eve dinner at midnight here in Hunan? It’ll be ready soon. Why don’t you come up and join us?” Then they sent a gruesome photo. The picture was quickly deleted. In its place came a —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 79 The Deadly Delivery 致命快递 I’m a Buddhist: beautiful, kindhearted, rich, and gullible. I can’t stand to see the poor suffer. If my fried noodles cost seven yuan, I pay ten. That can have its downsides, though. For example, some penniless creep from the noodle stall might latch onto me. Or I might find my husband’s severed finger in my fried noodles. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 80 The Eerie Portrait at the Wake 守灵夜的诡异遗像 The Eerie Portrait at the Wake 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 81 Lost Mountain Paranormal Society 迷山通灵社 [Traditional Supernatural] My name is Bai Shu, and I’m a medium. I deal with all kinds of spirits in my day-to-day life. A room in a rented apartment that must never be opened. A female ghost who hails a taxi to collect spirit money. A spirit that follows someone home from a car accident... The supernatural cases I take on might be happening right next door to you! 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 82 Death Trip 死亡旅行 Before graduation, everyone wanted to take a graduation trip that was a little different, so one of my rich classmates rented an old, rundown cruise ship. On the first night aboard, the rich kid posted a raffle in the group chat: “I’ve prepared a grand prize for everyone. Entries close at midnight. We’ll reveal the luckiest winner tomorrow morning!” I was just about to open the link when an anonymous text came in. “Open it and you die.” 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 83 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
- 84 What's Wrong with a Paper Effigy Shop That Reads Feng Shui and Catches Ghosts? 纸扎店怎么了也看风水也抓鬼 The evil ghost’s skin was an eerie bluish-black, its eyes blood-red, and black mist poured from its mouth. Its teeth were as sharp as knives, still stained with blood. Chen Yu was so terrified by the sight that he couldn’t move. All he could do was watch as the evil ghost slowly closed in on him. The evil ghost stretched out its long, slender claws, their nails sharp as hooks, and lightly traced Chen Yu’s face. A stinging pain flashed across his skin, and a streak of blood appeared. He wanted t 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 85 The Yin-Yang Master of the Wilderness 山野阴阳先生 [Yinshan + Maoshan + Folk legends + Supernatural + No saintly protagonist + No womanizing] My grandfather from Yinshan protects my life, and my brothers from Maoshan protect my body. As a Yin-Yang Master who walks among the dead, all I carry is an umbrella and a copper bell. Deep in the mountains, I encountered an old shapeshifter gnawing on a living person's hand. In southern Xinjiang, a demonic carpet sucked people's lifeblood in the middle of the night. In western Yunnan, a one-legged ghost 53.5kReads6.7Score2.2k14d adds
- 86 True Strange Tales from the Folk 民间真实奇异怪谈 At midnight every night, we’ll take you through the door of forbidden secrets for spine-tingling thrills and mind-bending twists. Are you brave enough to test your limits? From folk ghost stories to strange urban cases, from deserted village houses to sealed train compartments, every tale is an immersive horror adventure. Just when you think you’ve uncovered the truth, the story suddenly turns upside down. The killer could be right beside you, and the deadliest danger is often hidden where you l 20Reads6.9Score—14d adds
- 87 Sewing Up Corpses at the Funeral Home, Until I Stitched Up My Blind Date 殡仪馆缝尸，缝到相亲对象 I learned corpse sewing from my grandma as a child. Before I even graduated from vocational school, funeral homes everywhere were clamoring to hire me. My monthly salary was 100,000 yuan, plus commission. Everyone said it was easy money, but nobody knew that a corpse seamstress stitches flesh and skin while laying restless souls to rest. My very first job went horribly wrong. When the body bag opened, I recognized that face at once. Wasn’t she the girlfriend who had slept beside me last night? A 1.5kReads6.9Score11914d adds
- 88 The Life-Devouring Ancient Formula 噬命古方 The Life-Devouring Ancient Formula 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 89 The Curse of the Manicure 美甲之咒 The Nail Art Curse 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 90 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
- 91 The Maoshan Taoist 茅山道士 There are many things in this world that are unknown to most people. Five hundred years ago, hordes of ghosts and monsters roamed near the Kunlun Mountains. They fed on the spiritual qi generated by the Kunlun Dragon Vein and grew powerful enough to wreak havoc on the human world. For reasons unknown, the Nine Hells shattered, leaving the souls of humans and other living beings with nowhere to go after death. They gathered at the Kunlun Mountains, where they absorbed the spiritual qi of heaven a 20Reads7.5Score—14d adds
- 92 The New Taiping Guangji: Records of Supernatural Survival 新太平广记：非自然生存实录 “Stay away from Duan Fei! He’s a jinx who meddles with yin and yang and throws the Three Realms into chaos!” The warning from the darkness is filled with despair. “So what if he’s a jinx? I’m going to uncover the secrets of the Six Paths behind him.” The voice is brimming with arrogance. “Uncover them? You’re pushing yourself into the cracks between the Three Realms, straight into the Six Paths’ deadliest abyss!” The whisper sinks into the bones. A deadly mystery spanning life and death acros —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 93 The Evil-Suppressing Man of the Living World 阳间镇邪人 The world is formed from the union of Heaven and Earth. Where there is righteousness, there is evil; where there is yang, there must be yin. This world is full of the strange and the terrifying, and I am part of the strange. My name is Xiao Xie. My grandfather once said that on the day I was born, I tore a vicious asura ghost apart with my bare hands... 1.6kReads7.5Score11114d adds
- 94 Strange Little Tales from the Folk 灵异民间小故事 These are folk tales of the strange and supernatural, some true, some not. Some are quite old and have grown more and more fantastical with each retelling, so don't overanalyze them or take them too seriously. Some may resemble stories you already know, but that's purely coincidental. 171Reads6.5Score—14d adds
- 95 The Child's Haunting 童诡 Mystery | Horror | Hidden Chen Shuyang was overjoyed to move in with his girlfriend, Bai Lu. But as they spent day after day together, he gradually discovered her many strange quirks, from bizarre tastes in food to abnormal behavior. Little by little, he uncovered the terrifying secret she was hiding. 443Reads8.0Score11314d adds
- 96 Curse of Resentment 怨咒 I went out with a few friends to take care of some business and witnessed a series of strange events. That night, I dreamed of meeting a beautiful girl. When I woke up, I discovered that the drunk girl from the night before had died outside my door... 14Reads—Score—14d adds
- 97 Subduing Evil 镇邪 There are always mysterious things in this world, yet people dismiss them as nonsense. Miaojiang gu poison, corpse-driving in western Hunan, Nanyang curses, the Flowerfall Cave Maiden, shamanic sorcery, and yin-yang demons are all forbidden taboos. You don't have to believe in them, but you must remain in awe. Above all, never profane them! When the taboo soul bell rings out in the sky and ancient horrors quietly awaken, the world teeters on the brink of disaster. Will there still be someone who 637Reads6.2Score—14d adds
- 98 Half Farmer, Half Taoist 半农半道 A record of life’s fleeting moments, a modern-day Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio! In the Age of Declining Dharma, beneath the White Lotus, the greatest hermits hide in plain sight. The truly gifted master Suan Potian and his young apprentice Liu Yi, with help from Captain Liu of the J Team, travel through all kinds of strange tales. They fish drowned souls from the water, battle spirit mediums, drive out evil, escort ghosts and capture monsters; they read the veins of yin energy, set the ea 335Reads—Score—14d adds
- 99 The Exorcist’s Journal 伏魔笔记实录 I was born in a mysterious village in Chaoshan, amid violent storms and the strange disappearance of my family. From childhood, I was different from other people: I could see ghosts that no one else could. This unusual ability left me misunderstood, but it also led me into Grandma's mysterious world. Under her influence, I became fascinated by yin-yang and the Eight Trigrams, feng shui, and the art of destiny. Little by little, I learned that mysterious forces unknown to the world were hidden al 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 100 In Taoist Robes: I Counsel Students, Then Spirits 道袍加身：劝完学生劝鬼神 An art teacher unexpectedly becomes a Taoist exorcist. The colors in the classroom give way to the cinnabar of talismans, and one supernatural incident after another, once dismissed as impossible, begins to unfold. All the ghost stories he had heard were never mere fabrications. Beyond the mist where yin and yang meet lies a truth far more terrifying than anything on canvas. —Reads—Score—14d adds
