Reading Notes: Chinese Fairy Tales, Part A


(Twin Dragons, Luck)

Hello everyone! Today, I will be focusing on Chinese Fairy Tales, Part A. When I was reading these fairy tales, they were different compared to Indian fairy tales. It seemed like the plot in the Chinese fairy tales was rather surprising, unexpected, and full of twists and turns. They were not regular scenarios, and the lessons were not stated directly in the reading. The readers had to formulate their own interpretation of the reading. Of the Part A readings, I loved the Favorite of Fortune and the Child of Ill Luck and The Cave of the Beasts. 

In the Favorite of Fortune and the Child of Ill Luck, the lesson of the story is remain loyal to your loved ones. Although this is case, do not expect to share their luck and fortune. Everyone has their path, and each person should work hard towards their own goal. The reading had much dialogue between the princess and the beggar. I wondered what was going on in the beggar's mind. It would be interesting to see his initial thoughts when the princess chose him and his thoughts while becoming an emperor. How did he suddenly become an emperor? Was it a magical occurrence and did he have help? It seemed mysterious how the beggar became a emperor in the first place. So, I would explore the beggar's perspective further in my retelling. 


(Duck Eggs, photo by P. Williams)

The next story I loved was the Cave of the Beasts. I was not expecting the ending to be what it was. Why were the daughters so forgiving to their father, even though he tried to rid of them? It would be interesting to see why the daughters did what they did. I also wondered why the older sisters let the two younger sisters go with their dad if they knew their father would abandon their younger sisters. Like I mentioned earlier, it was hard to interpret what the author was trying to teach. For example, one must forgive family despite what happened? I was also confused as to why a wolf and a fox were included in the story. Did they serve a critical part to the story? If I retold this story, I would clarify and expand the things that confused me.




Bibliography:
The Favorite of Fortune and the Child of Ill Luck by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens

The Cave of the Beasts by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens

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