Brief introduction to the background of weird prosperity in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties

The prosperity of mystery novels is closely related to the social background at that time, and the prevalence of religious superstition is the soil for its prosperity. The ancients were superstitious about the Emperor of Heaven, and they had to ask him for instructions on important matters, so there were often activities such as prayer, divination and interpretation of dreams, and wizards were the people who engaged in such activities. Many stories about the efficacy of witchcraft circulated in society have become the material of strange novels. The alchemist was separated from the wizard at the end of the Warring States period. They advocate the theory of immortals and seek the elixir of life. Since the Qin and Han dynasties, alchemy has prevailed, and fairy stories have emerged one after another, which has also become the material of strange novels. In addition, Taoism established at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty and Buddhism introduced to China by the Eastern Han Dynasty were widely spread after the Wei and Jin Dynasties, resulting in many stories of ghosts and gods and Buddhism, which also became the material of mystery novels. As for these materials being collected and recorded, there is a purpose of self-study. Some authors of mystery novels are religious people. For example, Wang Fu, the author of Miraculous Tales, is a Taoist and Wang Yan, the author of Ghost Stories, is a Buddhist. Mystery novels meet the needs of religious propaganda and provide information for gossip, so they can be circulated.