A demon carefully paints its disguise before heading out into the world, depicted in a Qing dynasty artwork from 1894. “Painted Skin” is one of the best-known

A demon carefully paints its disguise before heading out into the world, depicted in a Qing dynasty artwork from 1894. “Painted Skin” is one of the best-known stories from Pu Songling’s Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. Wang Sheng encounters a beautiful young woman and secretly brings her home,…