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Overview
Chang To-ryong identifies himself as a genii whose apparent life as a destitute beggar was a period of exile. A Seoul official repeatedly feeds him and later recognizes what appears to be his corpse being carried from the city. More than twenty years afterwards, the official loses his way near Chi-i Mountain and enters an unfamiliar, splendid country. A finely dressed host welcomes him, reveals that he is Chang, and thanks him for the kindness shown during his exile.
Chang explicitly says that he was not dead when the official saw the body: his sentence had ended and he was returning home. His altered beauty retains enough of his former features for the guest to recognize him. Palace attendants, music and an extraordinary feast surround him. The visitor feels refreshed without sleep, but Chang tells him that the paths of genii and earthly people differ and that he cannot remain. A servant leads him out by another route and disappears.
The official marks the exit but cannot find the palace when he returns the following year. He later remembers that Chang’s face never aged and his unchanged clothing never wore out during fifteen years of begging. This is a particular immortal’s account, not a claim that ordinary beggars or dead people are secretly genii. The translation’s introductory threefold classification of genii is editorial context, while Chang’s exile and return are stated within the tale.
Origins & earliest records
Korean narrative in historical English translation
Records & interpretation
Complete chapter, relevant introduction and ending directly read; claims separated from editorial explanation.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Korean Imps, Ghosts and Fairies
Chapter 2, complete narrative and attached introductory notes. Gutenberg page labels are not relied on as printed pagination.
Family & connections
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Primary records and illustrations
Korean Imps, Ghosts and Fairies (1913), translated by J. S. Gale
Chapter 2. Chapter 2, complete narrative and attached introductory notes. Gutenberg page labels are not relied on as printed pagination.
Complete source section, attached editorial matter and ending directly read. The official marks the exit but cannot find the palace when he returns the following year. He later remembers that Chang’s face never aged and his unchanged clothing never wore out during fifteen years of begging. This is a particular immortal’s account, not a claim that ordinary beggars or dead people are secretly genii. The translation’s introductory threefold classification of genii is editorial context, while Chang’s exile and return are stated within the tale.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical translated narrative collectionGale, Korean Imps, Ghosts and Fairies (1913), chapter 2Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
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