Folktales
The main influences on Chinese folk tales have been Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism. Some folk tales may have arrived from India or West Asia along with Buddhism; others have no known western counterparts, but are widespread throughout East Asia. Chinese folk tales include a vast variety of forms such as myths, legends, fables, etc., and a number of folktale books such Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio now remain popular.
Well-known Chinese folk tales include:
- The story of Qi Xi, also known as the Story of the Magpie Bridge or the Story of Cowherd and the Weaving Maid, which tells how the stars Altair and Vega came to their places in the sky.
- The story of Hua Mulan, the female warrior who disguised herself as a man.
- The story of Chang'e, the goddess of the moon.
- The story of the Magic Paintbrush.
- The story of Meng Jiangnu, the woman who sought her husband at the Great Wall.
- The story of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King - from the popular novel Journey to the West.
Read more about this topic: Chinese Folklore
Famous quotes containing the word folktales:
“Most of the folktales dealing with the Indians are lurid and romantic. The story of the Indian lovers who were refused permission to wed and committed suicide is common to many places. Local residents point out cliffs where Indian maidens leaped to their death until it would seem that the first duty of all Indian girls was to jump off cliffs.”
—For the State of Iowa, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)