Folkloristics of China - An impact on thinking.

Middle Kingdom, The Three Descendants

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Across China in 250 Pages

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FOLKLORISTICS

Chinese and European/American thought is significantly different, both in terms of methodology, psyche and the general view on life. This chapter/article focuses not on the differences between how we think but what causes it.

If you find it interesting you will certainly like the article titled : Philosophy

(Link here)

FOLKLORISTICS

Early thought is developed from the stories we tell our children. Their morality, spirit and later life ethos is very much defined by these tales, myths and legends. In the West the story will tend to follow a dramatic cycle, where the storyline goes from peace and stability to some form of problem, trouble and hardship to a conclusion. Typically by the time of the stories end the protagonist will have overcome the issue. Eastern and Asian Folklore tend to follow a different pattern.

The examples listed below will show a more diverse and inconclusive story. Many progress with several morals, triggers for further thought and more focus on symbolism, metaphors and allegories.

The fours Great Folk Tales of China are;

? Butterfly Lovers - Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai

? Tale of the White Snake

? Lady Meng Jiang

? The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl

BUTTERFLY LOVERS

There was a lady called Zhu Yingtai. She was born into a wealthy family and the ninth child. At this time in Shangyu, Zheijiang, in the time of the Eastern Jin Dynasty where they lived, ladies were discouraged from becoming scholars and academics. Zhu eventually persuaded her father to let her attend classes in the disguise of a man. Ultimately she would journey to Hangzhou as a scholar.

Along her journey she met a scholar called Liang Shanbo, who was from Kuaji, now present day Shanbo. They felt an immediate affinity for one another and soon affirmed their feelings through an oath of fraternity. After gathering soil as incense they unified under the pavilion of a wooden bridge. For the next three years they studied together with Zhu still in her disguise as a man. Throughout this time Liang failed to recognize her feminine attributes and habits. After being engrossed in books and studies Zhu received a letter from her father telling her to return home.

She packed her items and said a sad goodbye to Liang. On leaving she revealed her true identity to the headmasters wife, pleading with her to give Liang a jade pendant as a betrothal gift. She new in her heart that she wanted to be with Liang for eternity. He would accompany Zhu for 18 miles of the journey believing he was simply accompanying his sworn brother, and not a women home. Zhu tried to reveal her identity through the comparison of Mandarin ducks, a traditional symbol of lovers. Her hints failed and they were soon forced to say their goodbyes at the Changting Pavilion. Just prior to this Zhu came up with the idea to at least see Liang again. She told Liang she would introduce and partner him with her sister, who was the perfect match. He agreed and several months later came to their home to make his proposal. On his visit he quickly discovers that Zhu is a women and the story of a sister was just a ploy. They immediately take their vows and officially devote themselves to one another.

This time of joy and happiness was short lived. Zhu’s parents had already pre-arranged for her to marry a wealthy merchant. His name was Ma Wencai and the wedding was to go ahead. On hearing this, Liang, who was by now a country magistrate died of heartbreak whilst working in his office. When it came to the day of the wedding heavy winds prevented the ceremony from going ahead. Zhu could not meet Ma as the wind was so strong. The wedding procession could not even pass the grave of Liang, which was on route to the destination. As she went to pay her respects she begged for the grave to open... and with an enormous clap of thunder it did.

Before anybody could stop her she threw herself into the grave to be with her one true love. No more than a moment later two butterflies emerged and flew away together.

TALE OF THE WHITE SNAKE

There were once eight immortals. One of them went by the name Lu Dongbin. One day he decided to disguise himself as a vendor on the broken bridge, close to the West Lake of Hangzhou. Whist in his disguise Lu Dongbin sold a young boy called Xu some Tangyuan, when in fact these were pills of immortality. For three whole days the young boy could not eat a thing. He returned to the vendor on the bridge to asky "why?"

Lu Dongbin did not answer but laughed. He picked up the young boy and violently flipped him upside down over the bridge. Xu vomited straight into the Tangyuan lake. Beneath them was a White Snake Spirit who ate the vomit and the pills as they fell into the water.

The snake spirit, having practised the Taoist magical Arts was granted 500 years of magical power. Observing this from afar was another spirit in the form of a Terrapin. He did not manage to consume any of the pills and became very jealous. Some time later at the same lake a peasant caught a green snake, with the goal of killing and butchering it to sell its gall. On realising this the White Snake transformed itself into a women and bought the green snake from the peasant.

Having been saved by the white snake the green snake was grateful, loyal and regarded it’s saviour as a sister. 18 years of peace would pass until the two now friendly snakes transformed into two young women, via the magical power granted by the beans. The white snake took the name Bai Suzhen and the Green snake Xiaoqing. Having been intertwined by fate they would go onto meet a much older Xu at the same broken bridge. Xu and Bai Suzhen eventually fell in love and got married.

They moved to Zhenjiang and opened a Medicine shop. In all this time the spirit in the form of a terrapin had been building his strength. He could now take human form and transformed into a Buddhist Monk called Fahai. Being jealous of their happiness he began to work on a scheme to force the married couple apart. In his new human form the Terrapin Spirit, disguised as the monk named Fahai met with Xu at the Duanwu Festival. He told Xu that it would be good to get his wife a drink and try the realgar wine, the most common alcohol of the festival. Xu soon bought his wife the drink, which she sipped. As she swallowed the wine her true form as a snake began to take shape. Seeing his wife transform into a serpant led to Xu dying from shock. Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing, once Snake Sisters and now almost permanently human, would travel to find the magical herb on Mount Emei. This would restore Xu’s life the next day. Xu’s love for Bai remained true even after knowing about her true magic and original form. Hearing this Fahai became outraged and worked on his next attempt to destroy their love. Fahai soon captured Xu and imprisoned him at the Jinshan Temple. Soon Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing went to fight with Fahai to try and save Xu. Bai uses all of her power to flood the temple, which not only failed to rescue Xu, but killed many innocent people. Her powers had decreased since she was already pregnant with Xu’s child.

Xu eventually managed to escape from the temple by himself. He reunited with his pregnant wife in Hangzhou. It is here where she gave birth to their son named Xu Menjiao. After a several years of peace Fahai managed to track them down and defeat Bai Suzhen. He imprisoned her in the Leifing Pagoda, leaving Xiaoqing no other option but to flee and make a vow of vengeance. Xu Mengjiao would go onto take the Imperial Examinations and bring glory to his parents. Over 20 years had passed and Xiaoqing, the green snake had been practising to defeat Fahai once and for all. On entering Jinshan Temple Fahai is defeated by Bai and fled to hide in the belly of a crab. In doing so he turned the stomach of the crab orange from the colour of his Monk clothing. Soon after, Bai Suzhen is reunited with her husband, son and friend.

LADY MENG JIANG

The story of Lady Meng Jiang has survived centuries as it remains relatable to many people today. There are many variations but the core story is that Lady Meng Jiangs husband was forced into service as a labourer. The Imperial Guards sent him to help construct the Great Wall. He left whilst Lady Meng was preoccupied and never said goodbye. For sometime after his departure she would hear nothing from her husband. Fearing he would be cold as winter approached she bought him his warmest clothes. On arriving at the Great Wall she discovered her husband had been killed, like so many others in it’s construction efforts. One hearing the news she cried so forcefully that a part of the Great Wall collapsed to reveal her husbands bones. She soon died of sadness and her tomb 68 was built into the wall. Located in the Shandong Province it has been reconstructed over the past two thousand years as it continues to fall.

THE COWHERD AND THE WEAVER GIRL

One of the most prominent love stories of all time ‘The Cowherd and the weaver girl’ is really quite beautiful. The weaver girl is not a human but a star. The cowherd is not a farmer but also a star. Their love for one another was forbidden and they were banished to opposite ends of the heavenly river, which is also known as the milky way. Once a year on the seventh day, of the seventh lunar year a flock of magpies form a celestial bridge, which allows the lovers to reunite for one day. The variations of this story are numerous and it also forms as a foundation which many other tales are built on. The tale of the Cowherd and the Weaver girl is more than 2600 years old and has spread throughout the Asian continent.

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The Middle Kingdom Series intertwines and builds on many of the great folklores, myths and legends of ancient China. It does so tastefully and continues the message/moral of the original stories in a tasteful, more submerged manner.