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The Chinese Myths

A Guide to the Gods and Legends
Series: Myths
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( 340 ratings, 43 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Chinese Myths by Tao Tao Liu delves into the rich tapestry of China's ancient stories, exploring various myths that have shaped Chinese culture and history. The book examines legendary tales, focusing on their origins and how these narratives reflect Chinese traditions and beliefs. The authors present an insightful look into the interplay between mythology and historical context, offering readers a deeper understanding of China's cultural heritage.
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Format: Hardback
$6400

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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're fascinated by ancient tales and want to explore the rich tapestry of traditional Chinese mythology. The author delves into a world of legendary creatures, hero adventures, and existential themes, offering insights into the cultural and historical significance of these enduring stories. This book may appeal to anyone interested in history, mythology, and the significant ways stories shape civilisations.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

The essential guide to the complex, fascinating world of Chinese myths: retelling the stories and exploring their significance in Chinese culture.

The perfect introduction to the world of Chinese myths, gods and legends

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The essential guide to the complex, fascinating world of Chinese myths: retelling the stories and exploring their significance in Chinese culture.

This is a concise and entertaining guide to the complex tradition of Chinese mythology. While many around the world are familiar with some aspects of Chinese myth – through Chinese New Year festivities or the classic adventures of the Monkey King in Journey to the West – few outside of China understand the richness of Chinese mythology, influenced by Daoism, Buddhism and Confucianism.

Offering much more than any competing overview of Chinese mythology, The Chinese Myths not only retells the ancient stories but also considers their place within the patterns of Chinese religions, culture and history. Tao Tao Liu introduces us to an intriguing cast of gods, goddesses, dragons and monks, including: the ancient hero, Yi the Archer, who shot suns out of the sky to save humanity from a drought; Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy and Compassion, to whom there are temples dedicated all over East Asia; and Madame White Snake, a water snake spirit in the guise of a mysterious widow, her story adapted into countless films and operas.

This book is for anyone interested in China, as knowing its myths allows readers to understand and appreciate its culture in a new light.

Series: Myths

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  • The Maya Myths
    The perfect introduction to the gods, heroes and ancestors of the great Maya civilisation. Highly complex and divided into politically fragmented noble houses, the Maya civilisation produced a diverse and complicated mythology that varies between groups and retellings. For example, there are three different myths about the origins of the sun and moon. In one creation myth, animals and objects...
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  • The Aztec Myths
    The essential guide to the world of Aztec mythology, based on Nahuatl-language sources that challenge the colonial history passed down to us by the Spanish. How did the jaguar get his spots? What happened to the four suns that came before our own? Where was Aztlan, mythical homeland of the Aztecs? For decades, the popular image of the Mexica people—better...
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    $3499
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  • The Korean Myths
    The perfect introduction to the world of Korean myth and legend. Korean myths are a living and evolving part of society, in both the North and South. With the export of Korean film across the globe, K-pop, fashion, K-dramas, literature and comics, there is a growing desire to understand the folklore and mythical underpinnings of contemporary Korean culture. Insu and...
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  • The Norse Myths
    Who were the Norse gods - the mighty Æsyr, led by Óðinn, and the mysterious Vanir? In The Norse Myths, we meet this passionate and squabbling pantheon, and learn of the mythological cosmos they inhabit. Passages translated from the Old Norse bring this legendary world to life, from the myths of creation to Ragnarök, the prophesied end of the world...
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  • The Greek and Roman Myths
    Who was Pandora and what was in her famous box? Why is a brand of sportswear named after the goddess Nike? How did Achilles get his Achilles heel? What exactly is a Titan? And why is one computer virus known as a Trojan horse? The myths of ancient Greece and Rome can seem bewilderingly complex, yet they are so much...
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  • The Japanese Myths
    The perfect introduction to the world of Japanese myth and legend. This is a smart and succinct guide to the rich tradition of Japanese mythology, from the earliest recorded legends of Izanagi and Izanami, their divine offspring and the creation of Japan, to medieval tales of vengeful ghosts, through to the modern-day reincarnation of ancient deities as the heroes of...
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  • The Celtic Myths
    The Celtic Myths is accessible for readers new to Celtic mythology, but satisfyingly detailed in its analysis of contexts, cultures, and archaeology for those well versed in the stories. Written down in medieval Wales and Ireland, the legends derive from oral poetry composed many centuries earlier. The Celts who shared these myths left behind treasures and monuments that predate the...
    Hardback
    $3499
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Chinese Myths
    The essential guide to the complex, fascinating world of Chinese myths: retelling the stories and exploring their significance in Chinese culture. This is a concise and entertaining guide to the complex tradition of Chinese mythology. While many around the world are familiar with some aspects of Chinese myth – through Chinese New Year festivities or the classic adventures of the...
    Hardback
    $6400
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • The Egyptian Myths
    Which gods created the world according to the ancient Egyptians? How did they explain the sun's movements and its disappearance at night? In what ways did mythology permeate their lives? And what did they believe happened in the afterlife? This handy guide to Egyptian mythology explores how the ancient Nile-dwellers explained the world around them. The text delves into the...
    Hardback
    $3699
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Chinese Myths by Tao Tao Liu is praised for being a captivating and engaging introduction to Chinese mythology. It is highlighted for its accessibility and entertainment value, making it an excellent entry-level resource in the field of history.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780500252383

Publisher: Thames & Hudson Ltd

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 15 September 2022

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Thames & Hudson Ltd

Illustration: 101 Halftones, duotone

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 440g

Pages: 224

About the Author

Tao Tao Liu is a retired Senior Lecturer in Chinese Literature in the Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford.

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