Chinese Myths and Fantasies

Oxford Myths and Legends

by Cyril Birch (adapter), Joan Kiddell-Monroe (Illustrator)

This collection of Chinese stories begins with the great legends of how Earth and Heaven came into being, and of how the archer Yi rid the Emperor Yao of the menace of the ten suns. There are folk-tales here, about ghosts and rain-makers, poor students and magicians, and the man who was
nearly made into fishpaste. Throughout all of these stories Cyril Birch has kept the subtle flavor of the originals and brings to life all of the magic and mystery of China.

Genres: Fantasy, China, Fiction

206 pages, Paperback

First published October 21, 1961

Reviews

[LordOfDorkness · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chinese mythology has become my literary crack-cocaine. The stories in this collection themselves are great. I can't say much of Ms. Birch's translation of them. It seems adequate. But sweet holy Christ are these wonderful!

I am mentally salivating at the thought of them.

Seriously.

[Gabriel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look at the mythologies, fantasies, and fables from a completely different set of cultural reference points than our Western ones. Engaging stories that appear to be artfully translated and provide a peek into what you might read in bed as a child growing up halfway across the world. This is a wonderful collection.

[Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much lore that we were never exposed to as children of European descent -- these stories seem much less mean-hearted as a general rule. Well, maybe Aunt Piety is not so kind or thoughtful ...

[Joel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty decent, well-told (or retold) collection of folk tales. Probably best suited for middle-grade readers; as an adult, I'm a bit put off by the fact that Birch provides no attribution of his source material, and no background notes that would help the reader place these stories in the context of Chinese society... but younger readers, or readers who just want a pleasant light read, need not be bothered by that.

[Karley Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chinese Myths and Fantasies Retold by Cyril Birch: Heaven and Earth and Man (Page 3-8)
There are some consistent themes I recognize in the Chinese Creation Myth. One was when P’an Ku died after creating the Earth. Then, from his body, he made the world a better place with mountains, rivers, winds and clouds, thunder, the sun and moon, stars, rain, and dew. While P’an Ku’s sacrifice is different from the Christianity creation story, they still have an overlying theme. A religious figure died to give something better to us. The Chinese tale’s characters, the gods and goddesses, also control the fate of the humans. While some of the gods bring wellbeing to humans by creating the Earth and teaching marriage, others bring destruction to the Earth. The myth is a way for the Chinese people to explain why humans are here on Earth by using spiritual themes. I would integrate the Chinese myth into my classroom when we had a lesson on myths. Instead of only using the regular Greek and Roman myths, the creation story from China would bring more diverse learning.

[Mauve Guava · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite books during my early teens. A bottle of coke, Garibaldi biscuits, Chinese Myths and Fantasies was a taste of heaven and beyond.
Simply transports you to magical faraway lands

[Kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some really odd tales in here and because I know nothing of Chinese mythology and there wasn't much information on where these stories came from I enjoyed them but was left wanting to know more.

[Mike · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have a copy of this book in my Daihatsu glove compartment.

[Phillias · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dated. Good organization. Thankfully lacking adult themes.