CHINESE MYTHS & TALES
In this section there are links to myths, tales, and other written materials translated. Most of them are about the China Ethnic Groups, my main focus of interest, but there will be occasionally other translations.
Last posts about Chinese Myths & Tales
Two stories of Liu Ba, the Bai trickster
Two stories of Liu Ba, the Bai trickster The Bai are one of the minorities who have had the longest contact with the Chinese.They are also one of the minorities that has received more cultural influences. This has been due to the accessibility of the land they...
The goddess of the Sun of the Jingpo
The goddess of the Sun of the Jingpo The goddess of the Sun was in the sky when one day she realized that on Earth the situation of men had changed a great deal. When they were created, they were all equal, and without evil and they did not covet riches. The latest...
The creation of the world among the Wa of China
The creation of the world among the Wa of China As soon as the heaven was formed, it looked like the back of a toad, full of lumps and protrusions, it was very ugly. The god Li[i] extended his hands and was polishing without stopping. Nobody knows how many years he...
Tales of the faithful dog: China, Mongolia, the West
In Chinese culture there are many historical and folkloric stories that extolled dogs, placing the animal friend above the other human beings. This was due to the dogs fidelity to their master, one of the most appreciated virtues in Chinese society. In legends,...
Chinese characters
The Shuangdun Signs and the Origins of Chinese Writing
The Shuangdun Signs and the Origins of Chinese Writing When the origins of Chinese writing are discussed, attention almost always turns to the oracle bones of the Shang dynasty. Yet thousands of years before characters were carved onto turtle plastrons, surprisingly...
Ethnic groups
The Bull that Shaped the World and Other Sacred Bovines among the Bulang Minority
The Bull that Shaped the World and Other Sacred Bovines among the Bulang Minority The Bulang people (布朗族), an Austroasiatic ethnic group primarily inhabiting Yunnan’s tea-growing highlands, revere the ox as a sacred being intertwined with creation, agriculture, and...
Chinese culture
Imperial Processions to the Temple of Heaven
Imperial Processions to the Temple of Heaven Those who know China—even if only through a brief trip—and who have visited the Temple of Heaven in Beijing will surely have been fascinated by the sober beauty of its buildings. Yet, whether on a crowded day or during a...