Feng Menglong'sWords to Instruct,Words to WarnandWords to Awaken (orThree Words), written based on Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1271-1368) dynasties scripts and Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) "imitation scripts," and Ling Mengchu'sAmazing Tales I & IIare "imitation scripts" representing the finest short stories of the Ming Dynasty.
Each of Feng Menglong's (1574-1646)Three Wordscontained 40 short stories with subject matters falling into three categories:
(1) Women's pursuit of true love and happiness: includingThe Courtesan's Jewel Box,The Oil Vendor and the Courtesan, andYutangchun Find Her Love in Adversity. These stories praise true love, denounce fickleness and call for mutual respect between men and women.
(2) The internal struggles of the ruling class: includingShen Xiaoxia Redresses His Father's Injustice,which describes the conflict between Shen Lian and the Yan Song family; andOld Scholar Meets Flower Goddess in the Evening, which tells a story about a bullied peasant punishing his tormentors with the help of a flower goddess.
(3) Extolling true friendship while condemning perfidious behavior. Representative works includeShi Runze Makes True Friends in DifficultyandGui, the Supernumerary Official Makes a Confession at the End of His Rope. Compared with storytelling scripts, the subject matter in "Three Words" was more concentrated, the plot more intricate and the description of character's psychological workings more detailed and exquisite. But the conflicts in Feng's stories were not very sharp and the language not dramatic.
Ling Mengchu's (1580-1644) two volumes ofAmazing Talescontained 78 stories. Most of these tales were based on previously published works. The development of trade and the seeds of capitalism, which emerged during the middle and late period of the Ming Dynasty, were reflected in his stories. For example,Lucky Man Makes A Fortune Out Of "Dongtinghong" OrangesandCheng's Salvation by the Goddess of the Seadescribed the moneymaking adventures of some Chinese merchants overseas. The love storyBeautiful Women Play Swing at Xuanhuiyuanand legal case storyPilgrim Reads Vajracchedika-Sutrawere also very well written. However, some tales were filled wit pornographic and superstitious description, and even falsified a peasant uprising, which greatly impaired his works' value.
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