The Flower Nymphs by Pu Songling

While studying at Mount Lao, Huang falls in love with Hsiang-yü, a white peony nymph, and befriends Chiang-hsüeh, a camellia nymph. After the peony is uprooted and dies, his mourning and care help restore Hsiang-yü; he also saves Chiang-hsüeh’s plant from destruction. Following Huang’s death, a plant grows beside the peony as he predicted, but when neglected and cut down, it is followed by the deaths of both flowering plants.

By Pu Songling · Genre: Supernatural Fiction, Short Story, Romance · 3,390 words

First lines

At the lower temple on Mount Lao the camellias[1] are twenty feet in height, and many spans in circumference. The peonies are more than ten feet high; and when the flowers are in bloom the effect is that of gorgeous tapestry.

[1]: The text has _nai-tung_ ("endure the winter"), for the identification of which I am indebted to Mr. L. C. Hopkins, of H. M. 's Consular service.

• Open reader

Genres

• Supernatural Fiction — Peony and camellia nymphs visit Huang as women, and Hsiang-yü returns first as a disembodied spirit and then from a flower.
• Short Story — A single prose narrative follows Huang’s encounters with two flower nymphs through separation, reunion, and the eventual destruction of their plants.
• Romance — Huang’s love for Hsiang-yü drives his mourning, his care for her new plant, and their reunion.

Tags

flower spirits · peonies · camellias · supernatural romance · resurrection · plant transformation

What this Textopian page supports

The Flower Nymphs is listed on Textopian as a short story by Pu Songling, dated Date unknown.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

• Work type: Short story
• Author: Pu Songling
• Date: Date unknown
• Language: English
• Genres: Supernatural Fiction, Short Story, Romance
• Length: 3,390 words
• Structure: 1 section, 18 paragraphs
• Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)

Good citation fit

• Work identity for The Flower Nymphs by Pu Songling
• Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
• Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
• Readability and classroom-planning context
• Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph

More by Pu Songling

• Author's own Record
• Examination for the Post of Guardian Angel
• The Talking Pupils
• The Painted Wall
• Planting a Pear-Tree
• The Taoist Priest of Lao-Shan
• The Buddhist Priest of Ch‘Ang-Ch‘Ing
• The Marriage of the Fox's Daughter
• All works by Pu Songling