"A singular masterpiece in Chinese fantasy literature."
——Ma Boyong (Author of "The Longest Day in Chang'an", renowned Chinese writer)

"The absolute pinnacle of contemporary Chinese fantasy."
——Reader Review

"Bizarrely gorgeous imagination that illuminates the unimagined depths of silence. Possesses both rare mystical qualities and exceptional literary merit — yet remains supremely entertaining."
——Reader Review

★A featured work by Qitongren — renowned Chinese fantasy author, pioneer of long-form wuxia fantasy, and a defining voice in China’s speculative fiction!
★Hailed as the "Chinese Kafka" in international fantasy circles, his works appear in "The Big Book of Modern Fantasy" (World Fantasy Award-winning anthology), alongside legends like Gabriel García Márquez and Haruki Murakami!
★Acclaimed by bestselling authors such as Ma Boyong and Jiang Nan, and praised by Hugo Award, World Fantasy Award, and British Fantasy Awards-winning editors Ann and Jeff VanderMeer as "a quintessential voice of Chinese fantasy literature."
★A fusion of wuxia and fantasy, bridging mythology and modernity through an Eastern literary lens.

This collection features 10 titles:
"Spring in Dongke Monastery" (Selected for The Big Book of Modern Fantasy, a "Global Top 100 Fantasy Works")
"The Dreamweaver" (Douban 9.2-rated, multi-time "Year’s Best Fantasy" pick)
"Chronicles of Liufeng River" (A wuxia fantasy masterpiece channeling Tang-Song dynasty elegance)
"The Leviathan and the Insect" (A mythic exploration of Chinese folklore and scholarly struggles)
"Biographies of Eight Sages" (An intimate chronicle of mortal transcendence)
"Songs of the Seasons" (Qitongren’s sole self-curated fantasy anthology)
"Novoland: Dragon’s Thorn" (A cornerstone of the Novoland fantasy universe)
"Serenity: The Highest Joy of Life" (A lyrical decoding of Eastern spiritual archetypes)
"Frog Song" (Original novel of Zhang Xiaoyu’s "Golden Elephant" Award-winning comic at France’s Chambéry International Comics Festival)
"The Floating Temple" (Source material for Zhang Xiaoyu’s latest award-winning comic "Cloud Temple")

Who could imagine a tale like this: A blue-eyed, curly-haired monk from distant lands arrives in a whirl of dust, singing wildly atop a hill about the far western realms. The Queen Mother of Kunlun dwells in her white-jade tower, drinking immortality from emerald cups beneath sky-piercing pillars, while the mist parts to reveal the world's roof is actually the colossal back of a golden toad. It sounds absurd — yet Qitongren's stories venture far beyond such absurdity.
This collection gathers twenty-two masterpieces of Qitongren’s fantasy fiction, including "Tooth of Spring", "The Abyss", "Jian's Silhouette", "Twin Hair Buns", and "House of Joy and Fortune". Drawing inspiration from ancient myths like "Tang Legends", "In Search of the Supernatural", and "Classic of Mountains and Seas", each story constructs a uniquely mesmerizing world where archaic culture and modern fantasy seamlessly intertwine.

"The Abyss" explores an unfathomable void between reality and illusion
"The Head-Seeking Beast" follows a creature (Xiao Chu)'s surreal journey of self-discovery
"Goldfish" builds a metaphorical universe through aquatic fantasy
"Baptism of Nine Nights" delivers an otherworldly rite of passage
"Ah Zhi" radiates with whimsical warmth
...

Qitongren (b. 1972), pen name inspired by Kafka’s "The Bucket Rider", is a celebrated Chinese short-story writer and fantasist, regarded as one of contemporary China’s most literary fantasy creators. He began writing while studying Chinese literature at Guangxi Normal University and gained prominence after publishing online in 2000. Former editor of "Fly Fantasy World" and executive editor of "Novoland Fantasy", he founded the e-magazine "Nine Songs" and edited "The Anthology of Chinese Fantasy".
Renowned for his visionary imagination and philosophical depth, he is a two-time "Douban Outstanding Author" and a defining figure in Chinese fantasy. His story "Spring in Dongke Monastery" was anthologized alongside works by Gabriel García Márquez, Angela Carter, George R.R. Martin, Stephen King, and Haruki Murakami in "The Big Book of Modern Fantasy" (World Fantasy Award-winning anthology). His stark prose has earned him the moniker "China’s Kafka."

1.Tooth of Spring
2.The Abyss
3.Jian's Silhouette
4.Twin Hair Buns
5.The Baseless Child
6.The Head-Seeking Beast
7.Nadi’s Search for Hell
8.House of Joy and Fortune
9.Dew on Shallots
10.Dragon
11.Goldfish
12.Dream Slave Zhuzhu
13.The Dreamhunter
14.Moniah
15.Baptism of Nine Nights
16.Pear Blossom Courtyard
17.Kumbum Monastery
18.Record of Kuairan Pavilion
19.Ah Zhi
20.The Monk of Flower Temple
21.Spring in Dongke Monastery
22.Yaksha