Original Text
A man named Zhang, a tribute scholar from Anqiu, lay ill in bed, reclining at the headboard. Suddenly he saw a small figure emerge from his chest, only half a foot tall, dressed in a scholar's robe and cap, performing the gestures of an actor. It sang in the Kunshan style, with a clear and pure tone, and in its spoken parts it announced its name and birthplace, exactly matching his own; the content of the songs recounted all the experiences of his life. After four acts were finished, it recited a poem and vanished without a trace. Zhang could still recall the outline of the drama and thus narrated it to others.
Commentary
When a person is critically ill or on the verge of death, they often experience hallucinations, which is what modern medicine frequently refers to as near-death phenomena.
Records related to Scholar Zhang also appear in Wang Yuyang's "Chibei Outtalks: Strange Tales Seven." The text is largely similar to "Scholar Zhang," but the title is changed to "The Little Man in the Heart." From the fact that "The Little Man in the Heart," along with "The Five-Lamb Grandee," "The Virtuous Concubine," "The Red Characters in Heaven," and "The Little Hunting Dog," are all concentrated in "Chibei Outtalks: Strange Tales Seven," it appears that Wang Yuyang's account was not independently composed; rather, it is highly likely that he borrowed from or even plagiarized "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio."
Regarding the identity of Scholar Zhang, the Qingketing edition of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio cites a passage by Gao Xiyuan, suggesting that it refers to Zhang Zai, the son of Zhang Zhen. The current annotated edition by Zhu Qikai also holds this view. In truth, Scholar Zhang should refer to Zhang Zhen himself, who was a contemporary of Pu Songling and Wang Yuyang, as evidenced by related poems and essays in the Collected Works of Pu Songling. Furthermore, the twenty-four-volume edition of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio records Wang Yuyang's commentary, which also identifies Scholar Zhang as Zhang Zhen, stating: "Could it be Qiyuan (Zhang Zhen's style name)? Most extraordinary."