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 Handbook Of Chinese Mythology
(World Mythology)
by Lihui Yang and Deming An, with Jessica Anderson Turner
Product Details
Hardcover: 293 pages
Publisher: ABC-CLIO (August 30, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 157607806X
ISBN-13: 978-1576078068
Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.9 x 0.9 inches
Description
Every year, at the Wa Huang Gong temple in Hebei Province, China, people gather 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 both the ancient reach and the continuing relevance of mythology in the lives of the Chinese people.
Compiled from ancient and scattered texts and based on groundbreaking new research, Handbook of Chinese Mythology is the most comprehensive English-language work on the subject ever written from an exclusively Chinese perspective. This work focuses on the Han Chinese people but ranges across the full spectrum of ancient and modern China, showing how key myths endured and evolved over time. A quick reference section covers all major deities, spirits, and demigods, as well as important places (Kunlun Mountain), mythical animals and plants (the crow with three feet; Fusang tree), and related items (Xirang-a kind of mythical soil; Bu Si Yao-mythical medicine for long life). No other work captures so well what Chinese mythology means to the people who lived and continue to live their lives by it.
With more than 40 illustrations and photographs, fresh translations of primary sources, and insight based on the authors' own field research, Handbook of Chinese Mythology offers an illuminating account of a fascinating corner of the world of myth. Product Details
312 pages; 40 halftones & line illus.; 6-1/8 x 9-1/4;
ISBN13: 978-0-19-533263-6
ISBN10: 0-19-533263-6
About the Author(s)
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.
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up–An authoritative, but not comprehensive, resource. The authors have drawn on many works in Mandarin as well as extant scholarly texts in English. They discuss sources and treatments of Chinese myths in the past and present, offering an overview of the interaction between myth and society. Surveying Chinese history and the history of the study of myths, the authors identify some areas for future scholarship. They provide a chronology of Chinese dynasties and include non-Han minorities in their discussions. The writing is clear and correct (though the Weaving Maiden is said to wed a cowboy), if not inspired. An extensive annotated bibliography cites selected Internet and video as well as print resources. The index is detailed. Although entries on dragons and on culture-heroes are fascinating, users will look in vain for Guanyin, Monkey (Sun Wukong), Yen Lo Wang, Feng Du, Yuan Shi Tian Zong, Guan Yu, and other folk and Taoist gods. This book should expand students ideas about the extent and significance of Chinese myths, but the absence of many myths that are known, even if imperfectly, in the West will limit its usefulness.–Patricia D. Lothrop, St. Georges School, Newport, RI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Information about Chinese mythology has been limited by language and access to primary sources. This volume attempts to fill a gap by providing a resource written in English by Chinese mythologists. The wife and husband team of Lihui Yang and Deming An, who were research fellows in the Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology at Indiana University in Bloomington, have studied Chinese mythology extensively. Yang teaches mythology at Beijing Normal University.
The introduction comprises about a quarter of the volume and provides an in-depth look at Chinese mythology as a whole. It explains the difficulty of researching these myths, the most obvious being that no integrated system of myths exists among the 56 ethnic groups in China. Some myths are recorded in ancient writings and artifacts (such as vessels, shells, or bones), and some are transmitted only orally. The main sources are described, and commonalities of myths across China are noted. The history and cultural context of these myths are then detailed.
The dictionary portion of the work describes 70 deities, themes, and concepts. Most entries are about two pages long, although they vary in length from a page to almost 10 pages (for Shennong, the Divine Farmer). Most of the entries treat figures (largely unknown to Western readers), but a few describe mythological concepts and places such as elixir of Immortality and Kunlun Mountain. Entries note definitions, sources of information, stories, and the role of each myth, and most include cross-references and bibliographic information. Black-and-white illustrations and photographs dot the book. An appendix offers an annotated list of print, video, and Web resources about Chinese mythology. A detailed index concludes the volume.
Although it is not well illustrated, this volume provides useful information to the reader. The authors' credibility and in-depth scholarship offer a rare opportunity to experience Chinese mythology through Chinese eyes. Recommended for academic and large public libraries. Lesley Farmer
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
由北京师范大学文学院杨利慧教授与中国社科院安德明副研究员合著、并特邀美国民俗学博士生Jessica Anderson Turner负责英文校订的《中国神话手册》（Handbook of Chinese Mythology），于2005年8月由美国ABC-CLIO出版公司出版发行。这是中国民俗学者撰写的第一部英文中国神话专书。
文章来源：中国民俗学网
【本文责编：CFNEditor】
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