abstract:In Search of the Supernatural (搜神記, pinyin: "Sōushénjì," literally "Records of Searching for Spirits") is a 4th-century CE Chinese compilation of legends, short stories and hearsay concerning spirits, ghosts and other supernatural phenomena. Although the authorship of the book is not made explicit in the text, it is believed to have been written and compiled by Gan Bao, a historian at the court of Emperor Yuan of Jin (sometimes wrongly referred to as Yü Pao) in 350 AD.