The Story of the Stone

The Story of the Stone (Chinese: 石頭記; pinyin: Shítóu jì) is a novel by Barry Hughart, first published in 1988. It is part of a series set in a version of ancient China that began with Bridge of Birds and continues with Eight Skilled Gentlemen. The story begins on the twelfth day of the seventh moon in the Year of the Serpent 3,339 (AD 650). The abbot of a humble monastery in the Valley of Sorrows calls upon Master Li and Number Ten Ox to investigate the killing of a monk and the theft of a seemingly inconsequential manuscript from its library. Suspicion soon lands on the infamous Laughing Prince Liu Sheng--who has been dead for about 750 years. To solve this mystery and others, the incongruous duo will have to travel across China,...