Handbook of Chinese Mythology

by Yang, Lihui; An, Deming; Turner, Jessica Anderson

• ISBN13: 9780195332636
• ISBN10: 0195332636
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-03-13
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Every year, at the Wa Huang Gong temple in Hebei Province, China, peoplegather to worship the great mother, Nuwa, the oldest deity in Chinese myth,praising her for bringing them a happy life. It is a vivid demonstration of boththe ancient reach and the continuing relevance of mythology in the lives of theChinese people. Compiled from ancient and scattered texts and based on groundbreaking newresearch, Handbook of Chinese Mythology is the most comprehensiveEnglish-language work on the subject ever written from an exclusively Chineseperspective. This work focuses on the Han Chinese people but ranges across thefull spectrum of ancient and modern China, showing how key myths endured andevolved over time. A quick reference section covers all major deities, spirits,and demigods, as well as important places (Kunlun Mountain), mythical animalsand plants (the crow with three feet; Fusang tree), and related items (Xirang-akind of mythical soil; Bu Si Yao-mythical medicine for long life). No other workcaptures so well what Chinese mythology means to the people who lived andcontinue to live their lives by it. With more than 40 illustrations and photographs, fresh translations ofprimary sources, and insight based on the authors' own field research, Handbookof Chinese Mythology offers an illuminating account of a fascinating corner ofthe world of myth.

Author Biography

Lihui Yang is Professor of Folklore and Mythology at the College of Chinese Language and Literature at Beijing Normal University. Deming An is Professor and Senior Researcher at the Institute of Literature, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing. Jessica Anderson Turner is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology at Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.