This project is now complete! All audio files can be found on our catalog page: https://librivox.org/strange-stories-from-a-chinese-studio-volume-2-by-songling-pu/
"Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio" or "Strange Tales of Liaozhai" is a collection of nearly five hundred mostly supernatural tales written by Pu Songling during the early Qing Dynasty. It was written in Classical Chinese rather than Vernacular Chinese. Pu is believed to have completed the majority of the tales sometime in 1679, though he could have added entries as late as 1707. He borrows from a folk tradition of oral storytelling to put to paper a series of captivating, colorful stories, where the boundary between reality and the odd or fantastic is blurred. The cast of characters includes vixen spirits, ghosts, scholars, court officials, Taoist exorcists and beasts. Moral purposes are often inverted between humans and the supposedly degenerate ghosts or spirits, resulting in a satirical edge to some of the stories. Ghosts and spirits are often bold and trustworthy, while humans are on the other hand weak, indecisive and easily manipulated, reflecting the author's own disillusionment with his society. ( Wikipedia)
- How to claim a part, and "how it all works" here To find a section to record, simply look at point 5. below at the sections. All the ones without names beside them are "up for grabs." Click "Post reply" at the top left of the screen and tell us which section you would like to read (include the section number from the left-most column in the reader list, please). Read points 6. to 8. below for what to do before, during and after your recording.
- New to recording? Please read our Newbie Guide to Recording!
- Is there a deadline? We ask that you submit your recorded sections within 1-2 months of placing your claim. Please note that to be fair to the readers who have completed their sections in a timely way, if you haven't submitted your recording(s) after two months, your sections will automatically be re-opened for other readers to claim, unless you post in this thread to request an extension. Extensions will be granted at the discretion of the Book Coordinator. If you cannot do your section, for whatever reason, just let me know and it'll go back to the pool. There's no shame in this; we're all volunteers and things happen.Please do not sign up for more sections than you can complete within the two month deadline.
- Where do I find the text? Source text : https://archive.org/details/strangestoriesfr02pusu (footnotes close to relevant text)
or http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/43628 (footnotes at end of text) - Footnotes: There are numerous footnotes in the text. I am leaving it up to the readers discretion as whether to include the footnotes or not based on if they enhance the understanding of the text, without interrupting the flow of the story. If you need any clarification please ask below.
- How to Pronounce "Giles": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEq5Li-lILs
- Chinese Pronounciation: Our very own Lian Pang (lian2902952) has offered to give assistance where needed else google is your friend (if you have a good link please let me know in the comments below).
- Please claim sections (the numbers in the first column below)! If this is your first recording, please let me know under which name or pseudonym you'd like to appear in the LibriVox catalogue. We can also link to a personal website/blog.
Please don't download or listen to files belonging to projects in process (unless you are the BC or PL). Our servers are not set up to handle the greater volume of traffic. Please wait until the project has been completed. Thanks!
carteki will DPL.
Magic Window:
BC Admin
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Genres for the project: Fantastic Fiction/Myths, Legends & Fairy Tales; Culture & Heritage
Keywords that describe the book: librivox, short stories, chinese, fables, ghosts, china, myths and legends, eastern
============================================ - BEFORE recording: Please check the Recording Notes: http://librivox.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6427#6430
Set your recording software to:
Channels: 1 (Mono)
Bit Rate: 128 kbps
Sample Rate: 44.1 kHz - DURING recording:
No more than 0.5 to 1 second of silence at the beginning of the recording!
Make sure you add this to the beginning of your recording:
START of recording (Intro)- "Chapter [number] of Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, Volume 2. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain."
- If you wish, say: "Recording by [your name], [city, your blog, podcast, web address]"
- Say:
"Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, Volume 2, by Songling Pu. Translated by Herbert Allen Giles [Chapter]"
END of recording- At the end of the section, say:
"End of [Chapter]" - If you wish, say:
"Recording by [your name], [city, your blog, podcast, web address]" - At the end of the book, say (in addition):
"End of Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, Volume 2, by Songling Pu. Translated by Herbert Allen Giles (1845 - 1935)"
There should be 5 seconds silence at the end of the recording, or 10 seconds for files longer than 30 minutes.
Please remember to check this thread frequently for updates! - AFTER recording
Need noise-cleaning?
Listen to your file through headphones. If you can hear some constant background noise (hiss/buzz), you may want to clean it up a bit. The new (free) version 1.3.3. of Audacity has much improved noise-cleaning. See this LibriVox wiki page for a complete guide.
Save files as
128 kbps MP3
strangestories2_###_pu_128kbps.mp3 (all lower-case) where ## is the section number (e.g. strangestories2_001_pu_128kbps.mp3) - Example ID3 V2 tags
(To find out more about ID3 tags, go to our wiki: http://wiki.librivox.org/index.php/What_is_ID3)
Add the following tags to your .mp3 file (how you do this depends on which software you use – if you are unsure about ID3 tags, send me a message). Please mind upper and lower case!
Title: ## - [Section title]
Track Number: ##
Please ignore the other tags - these will be filled in automatically at the cataloguing stage.
Transfer of files (completed recordings) Please always post in this forum thread when you've sent a file. Also, post the length of the recording (file duration: mm:ss) together with the link.- Upload your file with the LibriVox Uploader: https://librivox.org/login/uploader
(If you have trouble reading the image above, please message an admin) - You'll need to select the MC, which for this project is: dlolso21
- When your upload is complete, you will receive a link - please post it in this thread.
- If this doesn't work, or you have questions, please check our How To Send Your Recording wiki page.
- Upload your file with the LibriVox Uploader: https://librivox.org/login/uploader
Any questions?
Please post below