Sunday, February 6, 2022

Celebrating the Country of China

Diaochan
One of the Four Great
Beauties of China
This is the seventh in my series, highlighting the rich diversity of folktales, fairy tales, legends, and myths from around the world. My hope is that this will make it easier for you to find new and unique tales to add to your repertoire, and in the process, we will learn more about our global neighbors.

Since the Olympics began in Beijing a few days ago I thought it made sense to highlight China this time around. The country of China is divided into thirty-one provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions. I encourage you to conduct further research on the specific region and/or culture behind the stories. I also offer some curriculum and crafts resources, with articles for additional reading on the beautiful country of China.

At the end of this blog, you will find links to my previous journeys to Africa, India, Germany, Russia, Scotland, and Turkey. I hope you find something useful and fun to add to your storytelling work or classroom.

STORIES

The Ancestor of Tea
http://tinyurl.com/gudo3vz

The Blue Rose The tenth story in the book by Marie L. Shedlock.
http://tinyurl.com/jdua2ud

The Butterfly Lovers
https://tinyurl.com/ybvybqdz

The Clever Wife 
http://tinyurl.com/d7d8clp 

The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl
https://www.nspirement.com/2021/08/12/the-cowherd-and-the-weaver-girl.html

The Discovery of Salt
https://tinyurl.com/s3s75zt

The Dragon Princess
https://www.worldoftales.com/Asian_folktales/Chinese_Folktale_60.html#gsc.tab=0

The Golden Beetle or Why Dog Hates Cat
http://tinyurl.com/krxq898

Grandmother Tiger
https://chinesefolktales.blogspot.com/2018/06/grand-auntie-tiger-earliest-recorded.html

How the Moon Became Beautiful
https://archive.org/details/goldenpathbooka01stevgoog

How Three Heroes Came By Their Deaths Because of Two Peaches
https://tinyurl.com/y2h74kr4

The Ladle of the Moon
https://www.worldoftales.com/Asian_folktales/Chinese_Folktale_34.html#gsc.tab=0

The Ladle That Fell From the Moon
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/54734/54734-h/54734-h.htm#Page_404

The Lady Who Lives on the Moon
https://worldstories.org.uk/reader/the-lady-who-lives-on-the-moon/english/274

The Magic Brocade
http://www.aaronshep.com/stories/056.html

The Nodding Tiger
http://tinyurl.com/y8jxean5

The Old Woman and the Tiger
https://www.jefftk.com/p/the-old-woman-and-the-tiger

The Princess Kwan-Yin
https://www.worldoftales.com/Asian_folktales/Chinese_Folktale_9.html#gsc.tab=0

The Queen Mother of the West
https://tinyurl.com/yxmeqhld

The Snake and Frog
https://www.yourchineseastrology.com/zodiac/story/snake.htm

The Story of Niu Land and Zhi Nu
https://worldstories.org.uk/reader/the-story-of-niu-lang-and-zhi-nu/english/448

The Talking Fish
https://www.worldoftales.com/Asian_folktales/Chinese_Folktale_5.html#gsc.tab=0

The Two Jugglers
https://tinyurl.com/y3l5eauu


BOOKS

15 Engaging Children’s Books About China
https://teachingwithchildrensbooks.com/books-about-china/

20 of the Best Books Promoting Chinese Culture for Children
https://childrenslibrarylady.com/books-chinese-culture-kids/


CRAFTS

25 Outstanding Olympic Crafts for Kids to Make
https://artsycraftsymom.com/11-easy-olympic-crafts-for-kids/

Activity CraftsNineteen Chinese crafts for a variety of ages.
https://www.activityvillage.co.uk/china-crafts

Happy Toddler Playtime: The Best 30 Chinese New Year Activities and Crafts for Kids in 2022
https://happytoddlerplaytime.com/chinese-lunar-new-year-activities-crafts-for-kids/


CURRICULUM

Lions, Dragons, and Nian: Animals of the Chinese New Year - Wonderfully inclusive lesson plan on the Chinese Spring Festival and eastern and western dragons associated with the Chinese New Year.
https://tinyurl.com/k3un6ycs 

Smithsonian Institute – Timeline of Chinese History, Art, and Culture Timelines, lesson plans, maps, and more. You can explore by Theme, Dynasty, or Object.
https://tinyurl.com/mr2pxtsb


STORY COLLECTIONS

Chinese Fables and Folk Stories by Mary Hayes Davis, Chow-Leung, published in 1908. http://tinyurl.com/yda28q4

The Chinese Fairy Book by Dr. R. Wilhelm, 1921. Seventy-four stories of saints, magicians, ghost stories, and more.
https://tinyurl.com/osadn3h

Chinese Folklore -Short Stories for Children
http://tinyurl.com/6rdsb92

Chinese Legends; Or, The Porcelain Tower by Thomas Henry Sealy, 1848.
https://archive.org/details/chineselegendso00sealgoog/page/n6/mode/2up?view=theater

Chinese Tea Stories - A site brewing with interesting folktales from China. https://www.teasenz.com/chinese-tea/tag/tea-stories.html

Chinese Wonder Book - Fifteen stories from Norman Hinsdale Pitman, 1919.
https://archive.org/details/chinesewonderboo00pitm2

Myths and Legends of China by E.T.C. Werner Myths of water, fire, the stars, fox legends, and so much more.
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15250


SOMETHING EXTRA

Chinese Tales - Stories associated with festivals, war, love, myths, Buddhist’s tales and more.
https://pages.ucsd.edu/~dkjordan/chin/ChStories.html

Top Ten Chinese Myths
https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2016/feb/08/top-10-chinese-myths

ADDITIONAL CULTURAL RESOURCES

Celebrating the Continent of Africa
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2021/01/celebrating-continent-of-africa.html

Celebrating the Country of Germany
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2021/02/celebrating-country-of-germany.html

Celebrating the Country of India
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2021/01/celebrate-country-of-india.html

Celebrating the Country of Russia
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2021/03/celebrating-country-of-russia.html

Celebrating the Country of Scotland
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2021/04/celebrating-country-of-scotland.html

Celebrating the Country of Turkey
https://karenchace.blogspot.com/2017/11/celebrating-country-of-turkey.html



Please note, websites change at a rapid pace and weblinks may change or break without notice. I cannot be responsible for redirected or broken links. At the time of this posting all links were in working order. Thank you for understanding.

 

Karen Chace 2022 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission, please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I appreciate your support and personal integrity.