Crazy Ji: Chinese Religion and Popular Literatureis the first study in any language of one of the most colorful deities in the pantheon of late imperial and modern China: Sire Ji-or, as he is better known, Crazy Ji. The author uses the evolution of the cult of this eccentric deity to address central questions regarding the nature of the Chinese religion tradition, its relation to the Chinese social structure, and the role of vernacular fiction and popular media in shaping religious beliefs in China. Meir Shara demonstrates that vernacular novels and oral literature played a major role in the dissemination of knowledge about deities and the growth of cults and argues that the body of religious beliefs and practices we call "Chinese religion" is inseparable from the works of fiction and drama that have served as vehicles for its transmission. His analysis of the cult of Crazy Ji shows that far from being, as is often argued, a mirror of the Chinese bereaucratic order, Chinese religion offers a means of liberation from it. Finally, this study of the cult of Crzy Ji illustrates how lay believers influenced the practices of organized religion (in this case, monastic Buddhism). This study employs the analytical concepts of anthropology and literary criticism and is based on literary, historical, and ethnographic sources ranging from oral literature, vernacular novels, puppet plays, television serials, movies, local gazetteers, to monastic histories.

Follow the brilliant and hilarious adventures of the Zen Buddhist monk who became one of China's greatest folk heroes! During the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Ji Gong studied at the renowned Ling Yin monastery, nestled in the steep hills above Hangzhou. The Chan (Zen) Buddhist masters of the temple tried to instruct Ji Gong in the spartan practices of their sect, but the young monk, following in the footsteps of other great ne'er-do-wells, distinguished himself mainly by getting expelled. He left the monastery, became a wanderer with hardly a proper piece of clothing to wear, and achieved significant renown--in seedy wine shops and drinking establishments! That could have been where Ji Gong's story ended. But his unorthodox style of Buddhism soon made him a hero for storytellers of his era. Audiences delighted in tales where the mad old monk ignored--or even mocked--authority, defied common sense, and never neglected the wine, yet still managed to save the day. Ji Gong remains popular in China even today, where he regularly appears as the wise drunkard in movies and TV shows. In these 89 stories, you'll read about Ji Gong's rogue's knack for exposing the corrupt and criminal while still pursuing the twin delights of enlightenment and intoxication. This literary classic of a traveling martial arts master will entertain readers of all ages!

On the seventh day of marriage, Ji Yan was still locked up in the basement. She was forcibly sent to Shang family by her parents to replace her sister and marry the monster man, Shang Jinshen, who is rumored to be unable to walk. During these seven days, only one hot man comes to the basement every day to see her and provoke her. That time, she decides to fight back and bites the man, but she pays the price by having her first time taken away by the hot man. Finally, after ten days of captivity, she was released. When the Madam of the Shang family humiliates her for her poverty, her so-called husband shows up to defend her. She saw Shang Jinshen sitting in a wheelchair with many scars on his face. But what she doesn't know is that this image of weakness is a pretence by Shang Jinshen. The man who took away her virginity is the real Shang Jinshen.

Legends of Ji Gong first appeared as a literary work during the Song Dynasty. While the original author has become obscure, the stories of Ji Gong - an immortal who mingled with ordinary people, humorously depicted as a scruffy monk - have long retained their place as part of popular culture.

Destiny — — The Dominator of life, gradually sank into the dark quagmire after it began to depart.She was born the same day as she was and adopted by the same person at the age of six.He lowered his head. "Call me uncle from now on!"He gave a Girl the most precious diamond in the world, making her an untouchable princess.He gave the other Girl the lowliest sand grain in the world and made her into a low-class, messy grey GIRL.The princess lived in a room covered with lace. She lived in a dark, cluttered room.When she was 10, her uncle said that Girl had good long hair. She had secretly kept it, but he had cut it off her.At 12, her uncle said that her skin was Tai Bai's and he forcefully smeared mud on her face.At the age of 15, her uncle came to her junk room and took her, but his heart was strangely warm, so she knew what love was.At the age of 18, she grew up and confessed to him. However, he cruelly smiled and mocked, "You're useless."Trampling her love, she accepted all the sadness!One day, she said, I will be a beautiful swan!What was left behind after his gorgeous transformation were flaking gray Feather s on the ground! Whose mother did he hate? Who was the daughter of the orphan child who had been exchanged for her identity?

This meticulously researched and eminently readable study considers the economic, political, and religious factors that led Shaolin monks to disregard the Buddhist prohibition against violence and instead create fighting techniques that by the 21st century have spread throughout the world.

People said that angels and devils were often separated by a single line, but who knew how much pain and struggle there was between that line ...The color of the blood was so bright that it was almost blinding.Girl stared blankly at the wound on his left wrist, watching as hot blood continued to gush out from the wound. The knife in her hand that was stained with her blood slowly fell to the ground, emitting a clanging sound, but she still didn't have any reaction.Her white face was filled with an unconcealable sense of despair and serenity. Those eyes that had once been filled with smiles were now nothing more than ashes. Her eyes were still focused on the blood flowing out of her body, watching it slowly spread on the floor, but she still didn't panic at all.Just flow! Hurry up and drain it! "If she could just let her life end at this moment, she knew that perhaps only death could truly free her right now ..."