Imagine trying to capture the richness of an ancient and vast culture at the rate of one short story for each two centuries! Audio Connoisseur has once again demonstrated its unique ability to bring the audio listener something special, fascinating, and different.

These stories are best approached without expectations. Their style and values are not those of western literature, yet they resonate at a deep human level. Romance, honor, betrayal, and societal change are familiar themes, but play out here in unexpected ways.

Lingering images: Runners are sent out to bring back a suspect for questioning. A schoolmaster, huddling in a crowded safe house while armies maneuver outside, wonders whether a demanding employer expects his presence in the classroom. An artist is unwilling to work a lesser medium than jade, though his distinctive style will surely disclose the hiding place in which he and his bride have escaped her vengeful and powerful family.

Reader Charlton Griffin employs only the most subtle nuance of Chinese inflection, using a palette of British accents to convey class relationships of the characters. The convention, familiar to BBC viewers, helps more than it distracts. Music is used sparingly, to set the stage and provide punctuation.

I would have preferred a bit more contextual information as a forward to each of the stories, explaining the region, the style, and clues to historical and sociological references. But that is a minor quibble. Four-and-a-half hours elapse quickly, I always wanted to hear the next side, and I was sorry to reach the end of the last tape. Fortunately, this is only Volume I and the series could go on for years without exhausting the subject material.

Chinese literature is not often recorded, and I was delighted to come across this collection. This series of stories is wonderful from start to finish, and it is a fine representation of 2,000 years of Chinese storytelling. I have in my collection just about every set of recorded Chinese literature produced in the last decade and you can take it from me - this one is easily the best. This edition consists of seven short stories. The Bookworm is a delight and I particularly enjoyed The Jade Goddess. But they're all very, very well written. The narrator in this collection is someone I am not familiar with, but he reads beautifully and does all the voices of the characters. I think he may be one of the best narrators I have ever heard. The music and sound effects are really posh. This is a fantastic recording!!