A certain individual performed a rat show in the marketplace of Chang'an. Carrying a cloth sack containing more than a dozen small rats, wherever crowds gathered, this performer would set up a small wooden frame upon their shoulder, resembling a miniature stage. Then, with clappers and a drumbeat, they would sing ancient theatrical songs.

As the melody unfurled, the crowd of rats would emerge from the sack, each adorned with a tiny mask and costume. They would ascend the stage from the performer's back, mimicking human posture, and begin to dance gracefully. They enacted roles of both men and women, shifting from sorrow to joy; their expressions and movements matched the plot with astonishing accuracy, none out of place.