Do you like stories about ghosts and dragons? How about tales about magical beings and terrifying beasts?
Chinese mythology has all of those things and more, presenting a rich tapestry of the doings of human characters who from time to time win the princess and great wealth, or are the cause of their own downfall, or be able to attain immortality—whether through their own efforts or unintentionally—or find themselves having to take care of divine beings beyond their experience and comprehension. Then again, even the divine beings who populate these stories can also be fallible, getting into trouble or even causing it, and then having to extract themselves and take care of the aftermath.
Some Chinese myths are the creatures of folk tradition, connected to the religions of Taoism and Buddhism—both of which are important to Chinese history and culture—or political myths aimed at bolstering a dynasty’s claim to power. But whatever the origin of these tales, they remain captivating stories with the power to enchant us centuries—or even millennia—after they were first told.
Here is a little introduction to one of the crucial characters you’ll meet in this volume:
- the fox spirit who instead of being the trickster becomes the tricked
- the poor student who impresses the king of the lake and weds the king’s daughter
- the lonely ghost who becomes the lover of an unsuspecting poor scholar
- the nine-headed bird who kidnaps princesses and keeps a dragon king’s son captive
- the dragons who stole the entire water from the district around Beijing, and the brave soldier who made them give it back
- the young woman who gave her life to save her father and whose voice can also be heard in the peal of a bell
- the god Nezha, who as a child caused no end of trouble for his parents and the neighboring dragon king
- the Eight Immortals, who embody Taoist virtues and have merry adventures together
- and much, a lot more!
Scroll up and click the “add to cart” button to enjoy each of these fascinating stories from the world of Chinese myths, legends, and fairy tales!
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