The Performing Mice by Pu Songling
Mr. Wang tells the narrator of a man at Ch‘ang-an who earns his living exhibiting about ten mice. To his drumming and singing, the masked and costumed mice climb from a pouch onto a miniature stage on his back and act out joy and anger while standing on their hind legs.
By Pu Songling · Genre: Short Story, Animal Stories · 189 words
First lines
Mr. Wang also told me that there was a man at Ch‘ang-an who made his living by exhibiting performing mice. He had a pouch on his back in which he kept some ten of these little animals; and whenever he got among a number of people he would fix a little frame on his back, exactly resembling a stage. Then beating a drum he would sing some old theatrical melody, at the first sounds of which the mice would issue forth from the pouch, and then, with masks on their faces, and arrayed in various costumes, they would climb up his back on to the stage, where standing on their hind-legs they would go through a performance portraying the various emotions of joy and anger, exactly like human actors of either sex.[1]
Genres
- Short Story — A brief prose narrative recounts Mr. Wang’s report of a man and his performing mice.
- Animal Stories — The account centers on mice wearing masks and costumes and portraying emotions like human actors.
Tags
performing animals · mice · miniature theatre · costumes · drumming
What this Textopian page supports
The Performing Mice 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: Short Story, Animal Stories
- Length: 189 words
- Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Difficult (College Level)
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