Dragons and Dynasties: An Introduction to Chinese Mythology

by Yuan Ke, Kim Echlin, Nie Zhixiong

Colourful, sometimes grotesque and imaginative, Chinese mythology is just as moving and compelling as anything to be found in the better-known Egyptian, Greek and Teutonic traditions. In this book, Yuan Ke has culled from ancient sources, rearranged in chronological order and retold the variant versions of the creation of the world, the origins of men, women and animals and the era of the five endlessly warring emperor-gods.

Genres: Mythology, Nonfiction, China

208 pages, Paperback

First published October 5, 1993

Reviews

[daemyra, the realm's delight · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little dry, at times.

It reminds me of when I read Robert Graves’ Greek Myths as a teenager and I felt quite confused… and then returning to it in university when I was taking Classical Studies and felt the writing was so crisp and clear.

A little dry but mainly that had to do with a lot of history of men and kingdoms.

It wouldn’t be my first pick for getting into Chinese mythology, however.

[Makaia · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unexpected treasure I found at a thrift store: Tales of heroes, gods, idiots, animals, philosophers, good emperors, bad ones, and the list goes on. Some of the tales are similar to Celtic and Greek mythologies, which is fascinating for so many reasons. Mythology as we know it today, the 1000s of stories and poems, was the primitive world's way of understanding humanity and the world. It seems that the trials and tribulations of the world's heroes, martyrs, etc follow a common thread in history; culturally we're not so different from each other in the ways we attempt to understand each other and the world. This didn't occur to me quite as brightly before I got my hands on this book. A great read for scholars or readers with an interest. I've referenced it many times for story ideas. Classic Chinese illustrations accompany the tales, and the language, expertly translated, convincingly reflects ancient culture.

[Nosemonkey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent enough short collection. As thoroughly confusing as unfamiliar myths usually are, but entertaining enough.

Could really have done with more explanation, though - the occasional footnotes are helpful for context, but they're few and far between. A map and vague chronology could also have been handy, as it's clear thst some of these tales are supposed to be historical (in the typically fictional way that many early myths are claimed to become the starting points of true history).

Nonetheless, it's satisfied the interest, and sparked a desire to read more about ancient China, so it certainly does what it sets out to do.

[Les Nicholls · Rating 3 out of 5]

This little book contains stories created in the mythical time before there was a middle kingdom. These are creation stories and such which carry some hints about the sort of life which existed three or four thousand years ago in the territory now known as China.
The book leaves me hungry for more. But I am not sure where to go.