Land of the Dragon: Chinese Myth

Myth and Mankind

by Tony Allan, Charles Phillips

China is among the world's oldest civilizations and home to many of the earliest achievements in the history of humankind. Until the beginning of the twentieth century, the Chinese emperor ruled by Heavenly Mandate as the divinely appointed Son of Heaven, intermediary between the world of gods and mortals--Heaven and Earth--in an unbroken dynastic tradition some 4,000 years old.

The origins of China's imperial rulers lie in a time when the worlds of men and gods were closer than they are now. Chinese mythology relates these origins and those of China, together with the many gifts given to its people by the gods. It was these rich stories which subsequently inspired and shaped the three major religions found in China today.

Genres: History, Reference, Mythology, Nonfiction, China, Folklore, Dragons

144 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

After studying History at Oxford, Tony Allan worked for the British Broadcasting Company and as a magazine editor before turning to book publishing, including the Myth and Mankind series.

Reviews

[Linh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got the entire Myth and Mankind collection and instead of reading it in order, I chose to read Land of the Dragon: Chinese Myth first. I'm Chinese and I was interested to see which of the stories my parents and grandparents told to me in my childhood would be included in this book.

This collection is probably not for everyone as it is densely packed with history, art, as well as myths. I was surprised to find that this included a historical account of how myths and legends tie into China's long history. It explained China's dynasties throughout time and how each era nurtured or destroyed the myths of its' time.

Yet rest assured that all the classical tales of Chinese mythology are safely tucked within these beautiful pages. My personal favorites were of The Cowherd and the Girl Weaver, The Childhood of Nezha, The Goddess of Mercy and The Monkey King.

[Julicke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wanted to read this to get some background info before driving into Journey to the West and that's pretty much what I got out of it. It's only a very general overview of Chinese mythology though and only presents the bare bones of the stories. Overall, a good introduction to Chinese mythology that takes the historical context into account.

[Regina Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice book, even to the point that pages are desirable to touch. It is a nice short intro, but obviously there is more to read up on the Chinese culture, which I actually now found more fascinating.

[Randy]

As a coffee table book, this probably wasn't intended to be read cover to cover too often, but it held up well when I did so. It's not a scholarly work by any means, but its brevity is its comparative advantage; it gave me a good overview of Chinese mythology and how it relates to history, material culture, etc. And now if I want to become a specialist I can go and read something thicker or more footnoted, if that's a word.