Chinese Folk-Lore Tales

"Chinese Folk-Lore Tales" by J. (John) Macgowan is a compilation of old Chinese stories created in the early 1900s and showcase cultural values and moral teachings while exploring ideas of what is right, love, fate, and otherworldly themes featuring famous and sometimes mythical people. Stories that begin the book introduce characters like the moral government official Shih-Kung, and the sorrowful widow Ho, that help set up stories about tough moral questions that relate to fairness and the gods; the initial story tells of Mandarin Shih-Kung, a well-regarded official, who, following an odd interaction with a grieving widow begins to question her husband's death after noticing her strange actions and feels the need to look into the reasons surrounding the husband's death. As a result, this leads to a confrontation with the widow, and hidden facts being uncovered. The values of duty, honor, and the search for justice are shown through his choices as Shih-Kung deals with the difficulties of the case.