On Images of Monks and Taoist Priests in Strange Tales from Liaozhai

In Strange Tales from Liaozhai, there are a lot of monks and Taoist priests with unique and striking features.Many of the monks in this work are filthy in their conducts and immoral and have destroyed their traditional images with pure heart and few desires.In contrast, the Taoist priests have the high magic power and can praise the virtue and punish the vice.The images of the monks and Taoist priests shaped by PU Songling are connected with both his religious thoughts and the activities of these people, and his personality of“loving collecting something strange”and creation goal of work’s education.