Selected Chinese Mythological Stories

Author: Zi Ren (Editor)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-06-01
Features: Chinese mythology is a collection of stories that ancient Chinese people created to express their understanding and imagination of nature, society, and cultural phenomena. It is a product of the childhood of Chinese literature and is mostly composed of oral prose works. Chinese mythology was created by multiple ethnic groups, with the Han ethnic group being one of them. China has 55 ethnic minorities, and their myths are an important part of Chinese mythology. This book selects a portion of ethnic minority myths, such as the Li ethnic group's myth of the "Great Strength God" and the Zhuang ethnic group's myth of "Bulo Tuo Creates Heaven and Earth." Due to differences in history, culture, and economic development among various ethnic groups, these myths often exhibit distinct ethnic characteristics. Readers can compare their similarities and differences. From the content they depict, Chinese mythology includes stories about the creation of heaven and earth, the origins of humanity, the sun, moon, stars, and natural phenomena, as well as tales of floods and tribal wars, as well as craftsmanship and culture. These myths, through the imaginative explanations of ancient people, comprehensively explain the origins of heaven, universe, sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers, grass, and trees, as well as the origins of humanity and ethnic groups, showcasing the innocent and delightful artistic imagination of ancient Chinese people about the world. To comprehensively improve students' basic language literacy and enrich their extracurricular reading life, this book introduces the "Guidance Series for Extracurricular Reading of the Chinese Language Curriculum Standards." This book is edited by the renowned writer and professor of the Department of Chinese at Peking University, Cao Wenxuan. Each book includes introductory guidance text that provides background knowledge, helping students grasp the content they read. Additionally, it includes reading prompts or commentary to broaden students' reading perspectives and deepen their reading impressions. We hope this book can bring a brand-new reading experience to primary and secondary school students.