Writer's old residence a new tourism hot spot

Local govt's efforts to preserve Pu Songling Memorial Hall pay off as visitors flock in to appreciate cultural charm

The expanded former residence of Pu Songling, a writer of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), has become a popular destination for tourists to appreciate the charm of traditional Chinese culture thanks to the local government's efforts to preserve cultural heritage sites and integrate them into people's lives.

The residential complex, which reopened to the public on Aug 4 after partial expansion and renovation, had received more than 184,000 visitors by the end of the month, a large increase compared with the same period in previous years, said Sun Lili, a worker at the Pu Songling Memorial Hall.

Liaozhai Zhiyi, or Strange Tales from the Liaozhai Studio, a collection of classical Chinese stories authored by Pu, has been translated into more than 20 foreign languages, making it one of the most widely translated and available classic Chinese literary works in foreign countries, said Sun.