Ling, Mengchu 1580-1644 creator text utu 2008 monographic zh 1 online resource : multiple file formats "二刻拍案驚奇" by Mengchu Ling is a collection of vernacular short stories composed in the mid-17th century during the late Ming dynasty. This second volume contains 39 tales drawn from various Chinese dynasties, depicting merchants, street vendors, thieves, and other common people rather than emperors and heroes. The stories explore themes of love, marriage, and commerce while reflecting the social changes of its era. Written in vernacular Chinese, these tales captivated ordinary readers by finding the extraordinary within everyday life, revealing both human virtue and vice through twisting plots and vivid characters. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slapping_the_Table_in_Amazement Release date is 2008-09-30 Produced by Wan Jei Chen Original publication data not identified Chinese fiction -- Ming dynasty, 1368-1644 PL Original publication data not identified https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26729 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26729 UtSlPG 260607 20260610133618.0 26729