In The Columbia Anthology of Chinese Folk and Popular Literature, two of the world's leading sinologists, Victor H. Mair and Mark Bender, capture the breadth of China's oral-based literary heritage. This collection presents works drawn from the large body of oral literature of many of China's recognized ethnic groupsincluding the Han, Yi, Miao, Tu, Daur, Tibetan, Uyghur, and Kazakand the selections include a variety of genres. Chapters cover folk stories, songs, rituals, and drama, as well as epic traditions and professional storytelling, and feature both familiar and little-known texts, from the story of the woman warrior Hua Mulan to the love stories of urban storytellers in the Yangtze delta, the shaman rituals of the Manchu, and a trickster tale of the Daur people from the forests of the northeast. The Cannibal Grandmother of the Yi and other strange creatures and characters unsettle accepted notions of Chinese fable and literary form. Readers are introduced to antiphonal songs of the Zhuang and the Dong, who live among the fantastic limestone hills of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region; work and matchmaking songs of the mountain-dwelling She of Fujian province; and saltwater songs of the Cantonese-speaking boat people of Hong Kong. The editors feature the Mongolian epic poems of Geser Khan and Jangar; the sad tale of the Qeo family girl, from the Tu people of Gansu and Qinghai provinces; and local plays known as "rice sprouts" from Hebei province. These fascinating juxtapositions invite comparisons among cultures, styles, and genres, and expert translations preserve the individual character of each thrillingly imaginative work.
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Chinese Units of Measure
- “I Sit Here and Sing for You” The Oral Literature of China -Mark Bender and Victor Mair
- Chapter 1. Folk Stories and Other Spoken Traditions
- A GINSENG TALE FROM JILIN
- The Mother’s Brother and His Sister’s Son
- A FOLK STORY OF THE DAUR
- FOLK STORIES FROM THE TAI LUE OF SIPSONGPANNA
- Unclear Sight, but Skillful Hands
- Obtaining Milk from the Deities
- Two Friends
- The Cow and the Tiger
- Tale of the Two Rivers, Khong and Khorng
- A FOLK STORY IN “FUNERAL LAMENT LYRICS” OF THE LUO PEOPLE, YUNNAN
- A STORY FROM THE NUOSU OF SICHUAN
- TALES OF DRAGONS
- February 2, the Dragon Raises His Head
- Dragon-Print Stone of the West Mountains
- A MOSUO STORY FROM LAKE LUGU
- A STORY OF THE PUMI OF YUNNAN
- The Story of Zerijamu and Cuziluyi
- FOLK STORIES OF THE UYGHUR
- Growing Gold
- Jingling Coins
- Three Wise Maxims
- Two Brothers Meet
- Afrat Khan and His Nine Daughters
- A TU FOLK STORY
- A TALE OF THE AMIS
- STORIES OF TU RITUAL
- The Origin of the God of Riches
- A Snake Beats a Drum, a Donkey Rides a Person
- A NAMZI TALE
- NAMZI RIDDLES
- TIBETAN FLIRTING WORDS AND TONGUE TWISTERS
- Flirting Words
- Tongue Twisters
- Chapter 2. Folk Song Traditions
- FLOWER SONGS FROM NORTHWESTERN CHINA
- KAZAKH MARRIAGE SONGS OF LAMENT AND SORROW
- Songs of Lament
- Songs of Sorrow
- QING DYNASTY MOUNTAIN SONGS
- A Smile
- A Stare
- Looking
- On Fire (1)
- On Fire (2)
- On Fire (3)
- Studying Styles
- Not Flirting
- Expressing One’s Feelings
- Without a Lover (1)
- Without a Lover (2)
- Looking for My Lover
- Making Excuses
- Waiting (1)
- Make-Believe
- Secondhand
- Waiting (2)
- Temptation (1)
- Temptation (2)
- Deceiving Mother
- Hoodwinking Mother
- The Torn Skirt
- Watching the Stars
- Hoodwinking People (1)
- Hoodwinking People (2)
- Hoodwinking People (3)
- Hoodwinking People (4)
- Pregnant (1)
- Pregnant (2)
- Pregnant (3)
- Pregnant (4)
- Pregnant (5)
- Not Pregnant
- Untitled
- Untitled
- Untitled
- FOLK SONGS FROM JIANGSU PROVINCE
- Maiden Wu (verse 1)
- Yearning for a Beloved (Until Death Follows)
- Yearning for a Beloved Until Death Follows (fragment)
- At Sunset, the Western Mountains Gradually Turn Yellow
- If You Sing Mountain Songs, You’ll Find It Easy to Court
- Untitled
- Rippling Water, Clear and Bright
- The Peddler
- The Little Cat
- He Goes East, She Goes West
- A Little Stream Separates Me from My Lass
- The Girl Liu (fragment)
- Playing Cards at Night (fragment)
- The Girl’s Breasts Are White and Fresh Like Milk (fragment)
- Breaking Up
- If You Don’t Walk the Path of True Love,You Will Lose Your Beloved
- Cursing Song (fragment)
- On a Worn-Out Greasy Carrying Pole
- Let Us Playfully Sing Mountain Songs to Ask a Question
- Fourth Brother and Fifth Sister
- SALTWATER SONGS OF HONG KONG
- SONGS OF THE MINDONG SHE PEOPLE
- Carrying Fish Goods on a Shoulder Pole
- Field Song
- Matchmaking Through Singing
- Song When Meeting Someone on the Road
- An Apron and a Red Flower Present
- Auntie Chats with the Sedan Chair Porters
- Forever by Your Side
- Hard to Marry a Plain-Looking Girl
- A Grandchild Will Be Born in the Future Soon Enough
- MOUNTAIN SONGS FROM LIUZHOU, GUANGXI(INTERETHNIC)
- A SANI BALLAD
- Four Songs of the Seasons
- TWO FOLK SONGS OF THE DONG (GAEM) PEOPLE
- You Were Like a Tender Seedling, My Sweetheart
- Song of the Cicadas
- SONGS OF THE TU
- MOUNTAIN SONGS
- Larinbu and Jiminsu
- Awulii
- Arilolog
- Xnjalolog
- Qarilolog
- FOLK SONG
- Six Persuasions for People’s Hearts
- Chapter 3. Folk Ritual
- A CHAOXIAN LUNAR NEW YEAR EXORCISM RITUAL
- MANCHU SHAMAN SONGS FROM NORTHEASTERN CHINA
- Sacrifice to the Python God
- A Song for the God of Sacrifices
- A WA SOUL-CALLING CHANT
- Daxga Calls Back the Soul of Amrong
- A LAHU MARRIAGE PRAYER
- YI CHANTS FROM CHUXIONG PREFECTURE, YUNNAN
- Calling Back a Child’s Spirit
- Closing the Coffin
- Cutting the New Year’s Firewood
- A NUOSU MYTH FROM SICHUAN
- The Origin of Ghosts
- Episode 1
- Episode 2
- Episode 3
- Episode 4
- Episode 5
- Episode 6
- Episode 7
- Episode 8
- Episode 9
- Episode 10
- Episode 11
- Episode 12
- Episode 13
- Chapter 4. The Epic Traditions
- AN EXCERPT FROM THE EPIC GESER KHAN
- The Twelve-Headed Monster
- INTRODUCTORY CANTOS FROM THE MONGOL EPIC JANGAR
- A DAUR BALLAD
- The MERGEN and the Fox-Fairies
- SELECTIONS FROM A YI EPIC
- THE PALACE LAMP OF THE NANZHAO KINGDOM
- A TRADITION-ORIENTED YAO CREATION EPIC
- TWO MIAO (HMONG) SONG FLOWERS
- How Much Do You Two Really Know?
- Don’t Weave Cloth Without a Loom
- Chapter 5. Folk Drama
- HAND-PUPPET THEATER
- Excerpts from a Temple Festival Performance
- A POSTMIDNIGHT SHADOW PLAY FROM SHAANXI
- ALL THREE FEAR THEIR WIVES
- A RICE-PLANTING DRAMA
- A LOCAL DRAMA FROM SHAOXING
- RECORDS ON RESCUING MOTHER
- Chapter 6. Professional Storytelling Traditions of the North and South
- Northern Prosimetric
- A MEDLEY SONG FROM NORTHERN CHINA
- The Courtesan’s Jewel Box
- AN ANONYMOUS WORK FROM THE TUNE BOOK OF THE MANOR HOUSE OF LORD CHE
- A Bannermen’s Story of Hua Mulan
- AN ORAL-CONNECTED DRUM SONG FROM THE TUNE BOOK OF THE MANOR HOUSE OF LORD CHE
- The New Edition of the Manchu – Han Struggle
- THE PRECIOUS SCROLL OF CHENXIANG
- A PEKING DRUM SONG
- On the Slopes of Changban
- A PEKING DRUM SONG
- Zi Qi Listening to the QIN
- AN EXCERPT FROM JOURNEY TO THE WEST IN FAST BAMBOO CLAPPER–TALE STYLE
- Triple Theft of a Magic Fan
- TWO SHANDONG FAST TALES
- Second Brother Ma
- Learning to Write
- TWO VERSIONS OF “WU SONG FIGHTS THE TIGER” FROM THE YANGZHOU PINGHUA TRADITION
- Southern Prosimetric
- HANGZHOU STORYTELLING AND SONGS
- Old Hangzhou Bridges
- The Market Scene
- The Cooper
- JINGJIANG “TELLING SCRIPTURES” FROM THE SAN MAO PRECIOUS SCROLLS
- The Prime Minister Is Summoned Home
- AN EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY VERSION OF “LIANGS HANBO AND ZHU YINGTAI” FROM SUZHOU
- The Newly Compiled Tale of the Golden Butterflies
- AN EXCERPT FROM A “WOMEN’S CHANTEFABLE”
- A SUZHOU CHANTEFABLE OPENING BALLAD
- A SUZHOU CHANTEFABLE CLASSICFROM PEARL PAGODA
- A SUZHOU CHANTEFABLE FROM THE 1950s
- A WOODEN-FISH SONG
- AN EXCERPT FROM A GREAT VOLUMES SCRIPTOF THE BAI PEOPLE, YUNNAN
- Wang Shipeng Sacrifices to the River
- AN EXCERPT FROM A GREAT VOLUMES SCRIPT OF THE BAI PEOPLE, YUNNAN
- Singlet of Blood and Sweat
- Further Readings
- Contributors and Translators
- Sources of Previously Published Selections
- Translations from the Asian Classics
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