There once lived a landlord who loved money as he loved his own life. In his eyes the smallest coin seemed as large as a millstone. He was always on the lookout for some new way of making money and was very mean to his peasant tenants. They all called him "Skinflint."
Category: Chinese Folktales
A Magic Paint Brush – The Story of Ma Liang 神笔马良
once upon a time, there was a young man called Ma Liang. He was poor and kind and helped a rich man to tend cattle. He liked drawing and drew pictures everywher. One night, he dreamed that an old man gave him a magic paintbrush and asked him to use it to help poor people. When he woke up, he found the magic paintbrush in his desk.
Legends: Jiang Taigong Fishes 姜太公钓鱼
The last ruler of the Shang dynasty (16th – 11th century BC) was a tyrannical and debauched slave owner who spent his days carousing with his favorite concubine Daji and mercilessly executing or punishing upright officials and all others who objected to his ways. Jiang Shang had once served the Shang king and had come to hate him with all his heart. He was an expert in military affairs and hoped that someday someone would call on him to help overthrow the king. He waited and waited till he was 80 years old, continuing placidly with his fishing in a tributary of the Weihe River (near today’s Xi’an) using a barbless hook or even no hook at all, on the theory that the fish would come to him of their own volition when they were ready.
Chinese New Year Legend
An ancient Chinese legend tells of a man-eating predatory beast called Nian, extremely fierce, with a long head and sharp horn. Nian dwelled deep in the sea the whole year long, but on every Chinese New Year eve it would climb onto the shore to devour livestock and harm humans in a near-by village. Therefore, every Chinese New Year’s Eve, all the villagers would take their old and young deep into the mountains to hide from Nian.
The Chinese and the Moon
In Chinese minds, the moon is associated with gentleness and brightness, expressing the beautiful yearnings of the Chinese. On the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, the moon is full and it is time to mark the Moon Festival, or the Mid-Autumn Festival. The round shape symbolizes family reunio. Therefore the day is a holiday for family members to get together and enjoy the full moon – an auspicious token of abundance, harmony, and luck.
The Dragon King's Daughter
The treasure trove of Chinese folklore was compiled as oral traditions, stories being passed down from generation to generation within each of China’s fifty-six nationalities.
The Legend of Nian Monster
The Spring Festival, or Chinese New Year, is the most important festival for Chinese people. Legend has it that in
Classic Love Stories from China
People, regardless of their culture and wher they live, are always affected by sad, sentimental love stories. Each February, especially around Valentine’s Day (February 14), romance fills the air. There’s no better time to reflect on classic Chinese love stories.
Cowherd and Weaving Girl 牛郎织女
The fairy tale of the Cowherd and the Weaving Girl is one of the four most famous folktales of ancient China. It is a classic love story between a fairy and a human being and has a widespread influence. The Qixi Festival is said to have something to do with the fairy tale. Naturally, the seventh day of every seventh month of the lunar calendar has become Chinese Valentine’s Day.
Zhepama and Zhemima – the Achang Myth
The most important myth of the Achang is that of Zhepama and Zhemima that depicts the origin of the world and the first human beings in it.
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