Chinese Folktales And Myths

The Chinese have told each other stories for many different reasons - to teach things to their children, to make each other laugh, to record their feelings and observations and to explain how things got to be the way they are. Thus, common themes in Chinese folktales and myths revolve around filial piety in "Madam White Snake", triumph of good over evil in "Journey to the West", supremacy of wisdom over sheer physical strength in "the Romance of the three kingdoms", "Hua Mulan", cleverness and resourcefulness in "Wu Song kills a tiger", everlasting love in "Liang Shanbo and Zhu YingTai", "A Dream Of Red Mansions", "The Cowherd and the Girl Weaver", supernatural in "The Goddess Of Mercy", "God Of Longevity", "Zhong Kui", "Nuwa Repairs the Heaven", "Pangu Creates the Universe". Through these stories, Chinese values, traditions and customs are passed from one generation to the next.