| The Book of Swindles, a collection of stories from the late Ming Dynasty, focuses on swindlers and swindling techniques. The images of deceitful monks, nuns, and Daoists profoundly reflect the secularization of Buddhism and Taoism in the late Ming Dynasty, characterized by the pursuit of wealth and sexual misconduct. The origin of this social phenomenon are closely related to the political, economic, ideological, and cultural changes in Ming society. Through the analysis of the image of monk and Daoists in this text, this study reveals the historical background of the period in which the work was written and the realistic significance of the novel. |