Chinese folktales with wit and wisdom
 I
am grateful to some of my broadcaster friends of the China Radio
International, Sinhala Service, for sending me a most valued and a rare
collection of Chinese legends, myths, fables, parables and anecdotes,
commonly known as folktales. Though I have been interested in Chinese
folklore through reading English translations, this presentation paved
the way for me to make a better study.
 From
time to time, as I was invited to present a folktale for Sinhala service
to be broadcast for listeners all over the world, I never realized that
I have missed a lot until I read this collection titled ‘Classic Legends
of Traditional Chinese Culture (Beijin 2008)’ intended to be used as a
bilingual reader. The collection of tales contain the Chinese text, the
English translation and the guide to pronunciation plus and
illustration.
The contents which consist of all creative folklore are categorized
into eight broad groups. They are stories connected with:
1. Traditional Chinese festivals.
2. Myths and legends pertaining to Heroic women.
3. About diligent learners.
4. Moral stories on impressive sincerity.
5. Memorable tales on being resourceful and upright
6. Poetic visions on chatting at the starry nights.
7. Legends connected with humans as the nature titled as ‘mute
thunderous sound’ and
8. Anecdotes of folk customs.
The anthology could be regarded as a bilingual reader, with the
original in Chinese language and the translation in English. All the
creations are illustrated to give more attraction to the text.
In the short preface to these folklore materials a brief description
is given to each genre. The intention of the publication is noteworthy.
This work helps the readers of different cultural backgrounds share the
essence beauty of the traditional Chinese cultural heritage. The
translations of various folklore material may also find fascinating
inter cultural links enhancing cross cultural understandings.
The fact that some of the most modern trends in creative literature
may perhaps be visible in some of this tales, fables, legends, and
anecdotes. The reader will find a mixture of creations dealing with the
smallest insect to the higher human beings such as saints and sages.
There is a series of legends connected with scholars. One such story
goes as follows.
The story is titled as how Lu Wenshu copied books. Lu Wenshu was a
famous Judicial official who lived in western Han Dynasty. He liked
reading since his childhood. But books were all made of silk and very
expensive at that time. His family was too poor to afford them. When he
was a little boy, Lu Wenshu earned some extra money to help out with
household expenses by tending sheep for others.
On his way tending sheep he always passed a pond. One day he noticed
that the leaves of cattail were wide and big and suddenly got a good
idea. He carried a big bundle of leaves back home, cut them in the same
size as bamboo slips, weaved them together and copied the books he
borrowed from others on them. With the books made of leaves of cattail
he could read when tending sheep, and accumulated a lot of knowledge in
their way. At last he became an excellent expert in law. Simple though
in narrative form, the legend has several insights to discovery and
academic measures. The rest of the stories in the series examine with
vivid insights the traditional ways of learning that moulded great
minds.
There are stories and legends revolving round characters of vagrants
and other branded good for nothing people who become late developers
through their own skills. Some of the rarest stories, legends and
parables come from the section on anecdotes of folk customs.
One of the saddest but delightful legends is laid in the story titled
‘lady Meng Jiang’s wail at the Great Wall’ (107-111pp).
There had been a time when a particular government had regimented
young men to build the great wall, which is recognized as one of the
greatest wonders of the world. Many young men were taken unwillingly to
the construction site and forced to do restless hard work, until
exhausted to death. At this time there was a beautiful young woman named
Meng Jian. One evening when she was doing housework in the yard, she was
startled by a young man who leapt over the fence.
The young man in the first instance apologized and then introduced
himself as a person who wanted to escape the torture of work in the
site. He was also exhausted and fatigue. The young lady wanted him to
stay with her family and took care of him as a guest.
As time passed, the two young ones fell in love with each other. Meng
the young lady’s parents were happy that she had found a good groom and
wished that they get married one day. However three days after the
wedding, the young man was forcefully taken back to the site.
Nobody could step this forceful plunge. As the young man was taken
back to the construction site the young bride had to undergo mental
torture. She was waiting until he returned. But it was futile for hew
never returned. Eventually bad news reached her that that the young man
had already died of exhaustion and was buried at the foot of the great
wall among thousands of other workers. Deep sorrow filled her heart and
she didn’t stop wailing for three days and tree nights.
All of a sudden, with a tremendous noise, a section of the great
wall, several hundred miles in length, collapsed over her bitter wail,
revealing a great number of bodies and bones. Men Jin, the young lady’s
tears dropped onto her husband’s dead body as she recognized it. She
finally found him, but he could never see her again. She hugged his body
and went to the nearby store known as Bottai. After saying farewell for
the last time to her beloved husband in her mind, she jumped into the
sea.
Perhaps this may be a well known story in China. But it may not be
the same in other parts of the world. There may be similar stories found
in various parts of the world. This too is a fascinating aspect for an
in depth study of the thematic similarity.
All in all the collection of Chinese tales inclusive of the groups
mentioned earlier, is a fine gift of cultural heritage as is cited in
the short preface reader not only read vivid tales with implied profound
traditional Chinese culture, but also gain the ability of bilingual
perception. The flavour is that of wit vision and wisdom blended.
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