The Origins of Folklore

Oral Traditions in Contemporary China: Healing a Nation (Lexington Books, 2022) is the newest monograph from Professor Juwen Zhang of Willamette College. Through a historical survey and analyses of oral traditions like fairy tales, proverbs, and ballads, among others, that are still in vigorous practice in China today, this informative and stimulating book proposes a theoretical framework for interpreting how and why traditions continue or discontinue in any culture. Recently winning the prestigious Chicago Book Prize, the work is an excellent distillation of Professor Zhang's recent work. 

Timothy Thurston is Associate Professor in the Study of Contemporary China at the University of Leeds.

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