Chinese Myths and Fantasies by Cyril Birch
"Chinese Myths and Fantasies," authored by Cyril Birch, serves as a captivating introduction to traditional Chinese mythology for younger audiences. The book is structured into three distinct parts: the first explores foundational creation myths, including the stories of the primordial god P'an Ku and the goddess Nü-kua, who is credited with creating humanity and repairing the sky. The second part features a variety of narratives, including marriage tales, ghost stories, and magical adventures, which highlight the rich tapestry of Chinese folklore. The final section presents a Buddhist narrative about Eggborn, a boy born from an egg, who embarks on a journey of self-discovery and magic.
Published in 1961, Birch's work is significant in the context of Western literature, as it was one of the earliest collections aimed at introducing Chinese mythical themes to juvenile readers. Birch's expertise in Chinese literature enhances the book's storytelling quality, making it a valuable resource for understanding the fantastical elements of Chinese culture. The book also reflects ongoing scholarship on Chinese myths, with modern interpretations highlighting matriarchal influences and varying mythological versions from different regions. Thus, "Chinese Myths and Fantasies" remains an engaging and educational entry point for those looking to explore the complexities of Chinese mythology.
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Chinese Myths and Fantasies by Cyril Birch
First published: 1961; illustrated
Subjects: Religion and the supernatural
Type of work: Short fiction
Type of plot: Fantasy and folktale
Time of work: Ancient times
Recommended Ages: 13-18
Form and Content
Chinese Myths and Fantasies has three parts. The first part contains three creation myths. In “Heaven and Earth and Man,” the god P’an Ku, after sleeping eighteen thousand years in the midst of chaos, hacked chaos with an axe into heaven and earth. Over the next eighteen thousand years, he grew into a giant, separating the earth from the sky with his body. After the earth and the sky became fixed in their places, P’an Ku died, giving his breath to form the winds and clouds, his body for the mountains, his hands and feet for the two poles of the east and west, his blood for the rivers, his flesh for the soil, and the hairs of his body for flowers and trees. Then, the goddess Nü-kua created humans with mud. She also paired them by male and female and taught them the ways of marriage. Many years later, Kung-kung, the spirit of water, and Chu-jung, the spirit of fire, battled against each other. In his defeat, Kung-kung struck his head against Mount Pu-chou-shan, the pillar holding up the sky in the western corner. The sky cracked and the earth tilted up. To free humans from the catastrophe, Nü-kua patched the sky with molten colorful stones and propped the sky firmly with giant turtle legs.
In “The Greatest Archer,” Yi, the greatest of all archers during the reign of the sage Emperor Yao, shot down nine of the ten suns and slew a monstrous serpent on the Tung-t’ing Lake. In “The Quellers of the Flood,” Kun was punished with death by his grandfather, the Yellow Emperor, the Ruler of Heaven, for stealing the Magic Mould to stop an all-consuming flood in order to save the suffering world. After three years, however, Yü was born from Kun’s corpse to complete Kun’s duty to save humankind. Through his humility, Yü won forgiveness from the Yellow Emperor and was given as much of the Magic Mould as his black tortoise could carry. After thirty years of hard work harnessing the flood, Yü married Nü-chiao. When his wife saw him in the form of a huge bear tunneling through a mountain to channel the floods, however, she was so frightened that she transformed herself into a boulder. Yü got his son, Ch’i, from the boulder. He also moved Mount Kun-lun from the Heaven to the earth as a ladder between them. For his achievements, Yü the Great was made the ruler of the Hsia Dynasty by his people.
The second part of the book contains nine stories: three marriage fantasies, two ghost tales, and four about magic and witchcraft. The third part is a Buddhist tale. It tells the adventures of Eggborn, a boy born from an egg. After his two guardians, the Abbot and Old Dog Liu, died, Eggborn left the monastery. After repeated efforts, he copied the Text of Heaven from a cave guarded by the White Monkey. Then, he learned magic from the text with the help of Aunt Piety. Because Aunt Piety had abused the magic art to help the rebel Captain Wang Tse in battles against the imperial army, the White Monkey used the celestial mirror of exorcism to render her into a powerless hag and her brood into their true form—red foxes. In the end, Eggborn became the holy abbot, while Aunt Piety was shut in the cave of the Text of Heaven.
Critical Context
Published in 1961, this collection was one of the earliest introductions to Chinese myths and fantasies for juvenile readers in the West. Cyril Birch is a well-known scholar of Chinese literature. The Peony Pavilion (1980), Birch’s translation of T’ang Hsien-tsu’s Mao-tan t’ing, is among the best lyrical translations in English of a Chinese play. It is not surprising that Chinese Myths and Fantasies benefited from his erudite knowledge and lyrical talent. It has contributed to understanding of the Chinese fantastic imagination.
Because of this collection’s early publishing date, however, further readings in this field are highly recommended. Since the 1980’s, Chinese scholars have shown great interest in the origins of myths. They have discovered many versions of creation myths in different regions. It has been recognized that China was matriarchal in its first historical stage, and consequently the myth of Nü-kua appeared much earlier than the myth of P’an Ku. There are two modern trends in the study of Chinese myths: First, some poets and writers rewrite the myths in new historical contexts, as Lu Hsun did in the early twentieth century; second, some critics use feminist, Freudian, and other approaches to reinterpret old myths. The Western interest in Chinese myths and fantastic tales has been maintained by English translations of P’u Sung-ling’s Liao-chai chih-i (1766; Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, 1880) and by Yuan Ke’s Dragons and Dynasties: An Introduction to Chinese Mythology. The former is a masterpiece of supernatural tales, and the latter is the best version of Chinese myths from the extant text Shan hai ching. Nevertheless, Birch’s collection, with its superb storytelling, remains the best introduction for young readers.