Ancient fables, modern lessons for younger readers

The supernatural and literature have long had a close acquaintance both in the West and the East. Pardon the pun, but readers were never spooked by the appearance of a good ghost. Many people in China will recall the moral tales of Liaozhai Zhiyi (Strange Tales From a Lonely Studio) with its supernatural essence.

Written by Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) writer Pu Songling, the 18th-century classic collection of short stories has inspired many Chinese filmmakers not least like the 1987 A Chinese Ghost Story starring Leslie Cheung and the 2008 blockbuster Painted Skin.

A new program named Gushi Ganggang Hao (The Stories Are Just Right), created by streaming media platform Youku, tries to tell viewers that these household ghost stories cannot fully represent the panorama of the classic fiction's 496 short stories. But the realism hailed by the author may still be inspirational for today's young people.

The first season of the program－a 12-eposide package, named Strange Tales From a Lonely Studio－was premiered on July 15, with a new episode weekly, each lasting about 20 minutes.

The setting of the first season seems to give an air of "loneliness". In a simple studio against a white backdrop, only the host Zhang Shaogang is talking, while occasionally some animated illustrations are used as a complementary tool for explanation.

However, for Zhang, 48, a well-known TV host and a media professor at the Communication University of China, having such a show is a longtime dream. Four years ago during a coffee-time chat, he accidentally talked about his passion for the classic fiction with Wang Xiaonan, a producer of Youku, who showed interest, got an idea and it brewed. After years of preparation, the program was finally born.

"Many people have misunderstandings and stereotypes of the classic fiction, even before they read any story from it in its original context," Zhang says.

Although the book is about spirits, in his view, it's also written "about our emotions in daily life". "It's fascinating to see how the author reveals human nature through supernatural tales," he adds.