Strange Tales from a Lonely Studio was completed in the 19th year of Qing Emperor Kangxi (1680). Pu Songling was mostly circulated in manuscripts before his death, and was first carved in Yanzhou, Zhejiang Province in the thirty-first year of Gao Ganlong (1766).
After Strange Tales from a Lonely Studio was written, Pu Songling was unable to publish it because of his poor family, and it was not published until 1766 (the thirty-first year of Qing Qianlong). After repeated reprints, there are more than 30 versions at home and abroad. Famous versions include hanger-on Pavilion Edition and Zhu Xuezhai Edition, and nearly 20 countries have published their translations.