Film gets more than a ghost of a chance as summer blockbuster

Despite the plot centering on ghosts and spirits, Curious Tales of a Temple, adapted from one of the country's most famous ghost story anthologies, is currently topping China's animated film box-office charts this summer.

The film selects five stories from Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) novelist Pu Songling's Liaozhai Zhiyi (Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio), which contains 491 short tales, most of which feature love stories between humans and ghosts or spirits capable of shape-shifting into attractive people.

Since its debut on Tuesday, the movie has grossed 162 million yuan ($22.58 million) at the box office, securing its spot at the top of the summer's animated film charts. The three-month-long season is expecting 117 movies to be released.

During the film's Beijing premiere earlier this month, screenwriter Shen Junle said that zhiguai (records of the strange, a literary genre) stories — with Pu's original work as one of its representative masterpieces — are deeply rooted in China's traditional culture.

"Within these supernatural tales, we see reflections of human nature, the human heart, and social relationships," Shen explained.

Producer Song Yiyi added that although Liaozhai Zhiyi is cloaked in tales of ghosts, fox spirits, and the supernatural, at its heart it seeks to convey timeless truths — kindness, honesty, love, and beauty.

"We hope to share with audiences not just strange tales but universal emotions and moral clarity that lies beneath them: the dangers of greed, the test of true hearts, the bonds forged in chaos, the strength of love between couples, and the meaning of life and death," she said.