Myth-Folklore Unit: Chinese Fairy Tales

Overview. In this selection of stories from Wilhelm's Chinese Fairy Book, you will find fairy tales (some that end happily ever after, and some not so), animal legends (including the reason "why the dog and cat are enemies"), plus many stories of magic and the supernatural, including a legend about a ghostly general and a haunted battlefield, as well as tales of flying ogres and shape-shifting demons. You will meet the heavenly hero Yang Oerlang, along with Guan Yu, the god of war, and other heavenly beings such as the "Silkworm Goddess." There are talking silver foxes, too, including the story of a farmer who was bold enough to steal the fox-fire, the elixir of life itself breathed out by one of these mythical creatures.

Language. The book is written in contemporary English, so the language used should not pose any problems.

Story Length. These are all single-page stories.

Navigation. You will find the table of contents below, and you can also use this link to see the story posts displayed on two pages total: Chinese Fairy Tales. Click "Older Posts" at the bottom of that page to see the second page.

---

READING A:

1. The Favorite of Fortune and the Child of Ill Luck
2. The Cave of the Beasts
3. The Panther
4. Why Dog and Cat are Enemies
5. Yang Oerlang
6. The Lady of the Moon
7. The Girl with the Horse’s Head or the Silkworm Goddess
8. The God of War
9. The Miserly Farmer
10. The King of the Ants

READING B:

1. The Little Hunting Dog
2. Fox-Fire
3. The Talking Silver Foxes
4. Retribution
5. The Night on the Battlefield
6. The Maiden Who Was Stolen Away
7. The Flying Ogre
8. The Sorcerer of the White Lotus Lodge
9. The Three Evils
10. How the River God’s Wedding Was Broken Off
11. Yang Gui Fe