THE FOLKLORE ABOUT CHANG’E

520 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Role of women in greek mythology

This famous folklore about Chang’e dates back to ancient China. The earliest record is in The Huai-nan Tzu.6 And the version presented hereinafter is a composite of various versions currently told.7 This lady’s name is Chang'e8, who is the Chinese goddess of the Moon. Unlike many lunar deities in other cultures who personify the Moon, Chang'e only lives on the Moon as an punishment. And she has been living there for more than 4000 years.
According to the folklore, Chang'e and her husband Houyi were both immortals living in Heaven. Chang’e was a beautiful young woman working as a servant of the Jade Emperor9. Chang’e was married to another immortal, an archer named Houyi. One day the Jade Emperor’s ten sons transformed themselves into ten suns and began to march across the sky all together. They did this just for fun, however, they glared down upon the world mercilessly, causing the earth to scorch and burning the land to cinders. Fields were baked dry and cracks appeared in them. Plants withered and fierce beasts ran wild, placing the earth in grave danger.10 Having failed to stop...

Show More
Related

  • Summary Of Michael Loewe's Bing

    1127 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are little to no direct accounts of how individuals’ lives were a couple thousand years ago in Ancient China. With a wealth of information on the rise, decline, and fall of empires, Michael Loewe, a sinologist who specializes in oriental studies and theology, writes an imaginary story about a hero named Bing set around 70 BCE. Bing: From Farmer’s Son to Magistrate in Han China is Loewe’s fictional portrait of life during the Han Empire. It is by no means a comprehensive historical account of Han times, in fact, it was written with those readers who are not familiar with Chinese in mind, however through the life of Bing we can gage how the lives of laborers, those involved in military service, merchants, and government officials might

    Read More

  • The Death Of Woman Wang Summary

    1781 Words  | 4 Pages

    Yan Zhitui states that, "women take charge of family affairs, entering into lawsuits, straightening out disagreements, and paying calls to seek favor...the government offices are filled with their fancy silks." (Differences between north and south, 111). Yet, even in the Qing dynasty women were still restricted by and expected to uphold more traditional ideals, especially in the public eye. So, in the end, through her virtue, Hsi-Liu’s two children we able to become upright. Here, there is a split between what a woman is supposed to be according to old Chinese tradition, and the realities facing women in Tancheng. The loss of her husband, and economic hardship had forced His-Liu to behave in a different way, as if she were usurping the power from the eldest son so she could teach the two boys a lesson about being good family members. While she still maintains the ideals of bearing children, and being loyal to her husband, even after he dies, out of necessity she is forced to break from Confucian ideals of being only concerned with the domestic issues. This too put her at odds with the more traditional society around her, as the villagers pitied her sons, but vilified the Hsi-Liu for being so strict with them (Woman Wang, 65). Had she remarried, she would have been looked down upon even more because she would had broken her duty to remain faithful to her deceased

    Read More

  • Hangzhou Short Story

    726 Words  | 2 Pages

    Thru-out the centuries, regardless of race or age, there has been dilemmas that identify a family’s thru union. In “Hangzhou” (1925), author Lang Samantha Chang illustrates the story of a Japanese family whose mother is trapped in her believes. While Alice Walker in her story of “Everyday Use” (1944) presents the readers with an African American family whose dilemma is mainly rotating around Dee’s ego, the narrator’s daughter. Although differing ethnicity, both families commonly share the attachment of a legacy, a tradition and the adaptation to a new generation. In desperation of surviving as a united family there are changes that they must submit to.

    Read More

  • O-Lan Thesis

    938 Words  | 2 Pages

    From the beginning of Wang Lung’s marriage to O-lan, she saved him time, money, and effort without complaint. She offered wisdom when asked and was smart in the ways of the world. During the famine, when the family went south in search of food, O-lan taught her children how to beg for food, “dug the small green weeds, dandelions, and shepherds purse that thrust up feeble new leaves”(p. 128). She raised her children prudently. She knew how to bind her daughter’s feet, and she gave them a better childhood than she had had. O-lan knew that the land was the only consistent thing in her life, so she willingly helped Wang Lung as he bought more and more land. O-lan knew her place in the family was as a wife and mother. As a wife, she fe...

    Read More

  • Cao Xuequin's The Story Of The Stone: The Golden Century

    1444 Words  | 3 Pages

    ꀀꀀine a world of unequal social status. Envision a world where customs are different, whether that is through family or political standpoints. In America, in today’s day and age, every human being despite their gender is supposed to be seen as equal. In our modern world, gender equality is beginning to prevail, and men and women are looked at on the same level. However, there are still flaws in our society. Some of these flaws are exemplified through Cao Xuequin’s novel The Story of the Stone: The Golden Days, Volume 1. The Qing Dynasty, as depicted through the families in the book, portrays a life of unequal gender relations, through marriage, family matters, and education.

    Read More

  • Ancient China Dbq

    416 Words  | 1 Pages

    Daily life was influenced in both Ancient India and China because of religion and philosophies. Their well being, their beliefs, and their caste system were affected by religion and philosophies.

    Read More

  • A Song Of Changgan

    488 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the poem "A Song of Changgan", It establishes with the speaker not wanting to be with her husband "And I lowered my head toward a dark corner; And would not turn to your thousand calls;" However, as she turns fifteen she considers that she has no other choice and grasps the fact that she loves him. "But at fifteen, I straightened my brows and laughed, Learning that no dust could ever seal our love, That even unto death I would await you by my post; And would never lose heart in the tower of silent watching." When the speaker turns sixteen, her husband sets off on a lengthy journey which made her worried as he hasn't come home for a while. "Your footprints by our door, where I had watched you go, Were hidden, every one of them, under green moss, Hidden under moss too deep to sweep away. "

    Read More

  • The Death of woman Wang

    1140 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ultimately, The Death of Woman Wang, by Jonathan Spence is a timeless, educational, historical novel. Spence purpose to enlighten the reader of the Chinese culture, tradition and its land were met through the use of sources, like the Local History of T'an-ch'eng, the scholar-official Huang Liu-hung's handbook and stories of the writer P'u Sung-Ling. The intriguing structure of The Death of Woman Wang will captivate any reader's attention.

    Read More

  • The Last Empress by Daniele Varè

    965 Words  | 2 Pages

    Shortly after, Tzi-hsi was forced to give up her regency and retired to a summer palace, but she soon resumed rule over China. From that moment on until her death in 1908 she ruled China, instilling new policies and reforms into Chinese culture. There have been many assertions and assumptions about Tzi-hsi’s policies and their value to the history of China and her popularity among Chinese citizens (her tomb was raided and destroyed). Regardless of these opinio...

    Read More

  • Empress Dowager Cixi Corrupt

    2030 Words  | 5 Pages

    Warner, Marina. The Dragon Empress: Life and times of Tz'u-hsi, 1835-1908, Empress Dowager of China. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1972.

    Read More

  • Confucianism as a religion

    878 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Zhou Dynasty was the next influential time period in early Chinese history. During this era, the ideas of the Shang were built upon. The supreme being in the previous period, Shang-di, became more of an idea than a figure. Shang-di became Tian. Tian was considered a sort of heaven place. This place handed down the right to rule to the leaders, called “mandate of heaven” and was also the source of bl...

    Read More

  • Shen Yun: The Celestial Child of Ancient China

    731 Words  | 2 Pages

    Once in ancient China when you could walk up stairs to visit the gods, a baby, Shen Yun, was born. She was perfect, some would say in every way, glossy black hair, big round eyes, tender and gentle, and as smooth as silk. She wore a purple kimono adorned with stars and galaxies. Everyone loved her for her innocence and beauty, but she was most known for her kindness. She grew to be a kind and helpful little girl. She was unique in a way that she could control the growth of the earth and can move the stars. Since she was so special her parents wanted to keep her safe, so they told her “You cannot go down to the mortal world.” they said, “but mommy, daddy, I want to help the mortals,” Shen Yun complained. Her parents thought and thought and decided she can

    Read More

  • Chinese Talk-Story

    409 Words  | 1 Pages

    “When we Chinese girls listened to the adults talk-story, we learned that we failed if we grew up to be but wives or slaves” (19). Talk-story supplied Chinese girls with dreams of becoming more than their culture allows them to. It is through these stories that women live to their fullest extent. The stories exemplify what a woman strives to be, not a mere housewife or slave, but a great warrior. One such talk-story is that of Fa Mu Lan. Throughout the years, the story of Fa Mu Lan has changed from storyteller to storyteller, each with its own dramatic difference. To illustrate the dramatic changes that occur among storytellers, one can compare Kingston’s interpretation of Fa Mu Lan’s story to Disney’s Mulan. In this comparison, we see that aside from the talking dragon, Disney’s adaptation of the myth is much more realistic.

    Read More

  • Kung Fu: An Ancestral Tradition

    1743 Words  | 4 Pages

    My family story is about Kong Fu which is the traditional Chinese culture. It has an important significance to my whole family. During my long ancestors’ life, Kong Fu played a significant role, which means that every one of my ancestors learned Kong Fu from generation to generation. My great-great-great-grandpa was called Zhang Yuan and he learned Kong Fu from his master, whose last name was Chen at Malian Qu where was the hometown of my family. Moreover, a special habit which my great-great grandfather and his master had was that they rose with the cocks to practice Kong Fu every time with the sunrise, which is like a traditional Chinese allusion called ‘rising up upon hearing the crow of a rooster and practicing with the sword’. Another amazing thing is that their Kong Fu standard is so high that they could break off the chairs as soon as they twisted their asses. Although the story sounds exaggeratedly, I am

    Read More

  • The Story of Princess Huo's Daughter

    597 Words  | 2 Pages

    The story of Princess Huo’s daughter is a story about a man by the name of Li Yi. Li Yi was from a good family and showed brilliant promise. Even senior scholars admired him. At the age of twenty-one, he hoped for a beautiful and accomplished wife. In Chang’an Li asked a matchmaker by the name of Bao to find him a wife. Li gave her expensive gifts and she was very well inclined to him. One afternoon, some months after talking to Bao Li was sitting in the south pavilion of his lodgings when he heard continuous knocking. Bao entered and Li asked her “What brings you here so unexpectedly, madam”. Boa had found Li a perfect match for a wife, and with the good news Li was ecstatic and leaped for joy. Saying “I shall be your slave as long as I live!” Bao informed him that she was the youngest daughter of prince Huo. Her name is Jade, her mother was the prince’s favorite slave. When the prince died, his sons refused to keep the child, so they gave her a piece of wealth and made her leave. She changed her name, and the people do not know the prince was her father. She is the most beautiful...

    Read More

More about THE FOLKLORE ABOUT CHANG’E

Open Document