Chinese Folk Tales
China Plus
Immerse yourself in the enchanting narrative of Chinese Cinderella, the romantic tale of the cowherd and the fairy, and the heroic legend of the fearless female general, Mulan...... These mythical stories blur the lines of reality, featuring epic protagonists. Join us on a wondrous journey into a new world, imbued with tradition, mythology, and enduring wisdom. Subscribe and listen now.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Dec 21, 2020 • 7min
Xia Dynasty and Family Under Heaven
Thirty-one episodes into our podcast we are approaching the end of the ancient part of Chinese history and the start of the first known dynasty in China, called Xia. The founder of the Xia Dynasty was the son of the Great Yu and he was born out of a rock. How did that happen?
Dec 17, 2020 • 7min
Great Yu and the Nine Tripods
Great Yu spent years of his life taming the floods, only to have his work eaten up by a monster with nine heads...of snakes! Would it help to chop off those heads? Yes, but that led to problems of another kind. How did the Great Yu deal with all this?
Dec 14, 2020 • 8min
The Great Yu fighting the floods
The great man Yu is so important in Chinese history that we are devoting three episodes related to him. Today's story is about how he tamed the floods and how he passed his own house three times and never went in. Why didn't he?
Dec 10, 2020 • 10min
Fighting flood with magical mud
In some sense, history is a record of the great disasters that have befallen the human race, one of which is flooding. How did ancient Chinese combat the floods? That story would have to start with the Great Yu, and that in turn would have to start with his father, Gun, who fought flood with magical mud. What is that?
Dec 7, 2020 • 10min
Emperor Shun - peace under heaven
Although it took many years, in fact decades, for Shun to eventually become the emperor, it was all worth it. There was finally peace under heaven. How did Shun manage that and who came after Shun?
Dec 3, 2020 • 12min
The Saint Emperor Shun
What is an ideal leader like, in the minds of the Chinese people? I think the answer can be best demonstrated by learning about the two ancient Chinese emperors, Yao and Shun. Today we will talk about Emperor Shun, who had a quite unfortunate childhood. Why is that?
Nov 30, 2020 • 9min
Emperor Yao, the perfect Chinese ruler
How great would someone have to be, to be remembered as virtuous, kind and magnanimous thousands of years later? In this episode and the next, we will introduce Emperor Yao and Emperor Shun, who have been admired and loved by the Chinese people and looked up to by Chinese leaders. What is a perfect leader like in the eyes of the Chinese people?
Nov 26, 2020 • 8min
Mysterious founders of Shang and Zhou dynasties
What did your Mom say when you asked her "Where did I come from"? The stories about the births of the founders of Shang and Zhou Dynasties might come handy when your child asks you the same question. So where did they come from?
Nov 23, 2020 • 10min
The emperor who separated heaven and earth, again!
Separating heaven and earth, wait a minute, didn't Pangu the giant already do that? Yes, he was the first one to do so but not the last. Who else tried to separate heaven and earth and why?
Nov 19, 2020 • 9min
The Yellow Emperor and the Giant Xing Tian
Being an emperor was no easy job, especially at a time when giants and monsters roamed the land, too. In this episode, a giant fought with the Yellow Emperor with his head cut off. How did he manage that?
