Author Archives: Amberly Lin

Finish your bowl of rice

Age: 46
Occupation: Chemist
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Language: English

Text

“Growing up, my parents would always say that If you leave behind grains of rice or you don’t cleanly finish your bowl of rice, the more marks your spouse will have on their face. The marks can either be scars, pimples, moles or anything that would make them unattractive.” 

Context

My informant’s Taiwanese parents would always say this to her when she was young as a way of scaring her into finishing her food. Not doing something you are supposed to will lead to you having an unattractive future spouse. 

Interpretation

This tale is related to Chinese and East Asian superstitions that associate not finishing a bowl of rice with bad luck. Rice symbolizes prosperity and success in Chinese culture. Additionally, not wasting your food is something that all families try to preach to kids, so this tale is likely told to scare kids into doing what they are supposed to. This story also conveys east Asian beauty standards, as Asian culture tends to value a fair and even complexion with minimal marks. A fair complexion is often associated with greater wealth, so perhaps marrying someone with an unfavorable complexion reflects the fact that not finishing your bowl of rice will lead you to marry someone from a lower class. Not doing what you are supposed to may lead to social repercussions.

The Zodiac Calendar Race

Age: 46
Occupation: Chemist
Residence: Los Angeles
Language: English

Text

The cat and mouse are going to participate in a race to decide the ordering of the Zodiac calendar. The two of them were good friends who decided to go together. They had to cross a river, so the two jumped on the back of an ox. The mouse wanted to win, so he pushed over the cat into the water, which led to the mouse coming in first in the race, followed by the ox. The cat ended up coming in 13th place. From then on, the cat hated the mouse and that’s why the cat is excluded from the Zodiac calendar. And that is why Chinese people believe cats eat mice. 

Context

My informant learned this story in elementary school in Taiwan. She learned it from a teacher in elementary school. She believes that it is a story used to explain why cats eat mice.

Interpretation

This legend is an origin story about a legendary event that explains the order of the Chinese Zodiac calendar and why the cat is not included.Although this event definitely did not occur, the story, it serves as a possible explanation for why cats and mice are often seen in opposition in Chinese culture, as well as across cultures. This story reflects the importance of  values of loyalty, friendship, and honesty and how betraying those values can lead to an unfortunate fate. This story is widely known and taught in schools as a part of Chinese history.


The Butterfly Lovers Legend

Age: 22
Occupation: College Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Language: English

Text

Collector: “Can you tell me a legend you heard growing up?” 

Informant: “So the legend takes place in Eastern China during the Jin Dynasty. It is basically a love story. The girl Zhu YingTai is the 9th child and only daughter of a wealthy family and she brought her family pride and joy because she was very disciplined and made beautiful embroidery.Her biggest dream and goal in life was to go to school and take on scholarly pursuits, however women at this time are discouraged from going to school. She convinces her parents to let her go to school so long as she disguises herself as a man and promises to come home after her studies to be a dutiful wife. Along the way, she meets a scholar named Liang Shanbo, and they form a strong friendship. Liang Shanbo does not know Zhu YingTai is a woman. Over the next years, they study together and even share a room.They take an oath of fraternity, become sworn brothers. She starts to fall in love with him and Liang Shanbo feels a strong connection. Liang Shanbo obviously grows suspicious of Zhu YingTai overtime, as she always wears thick robes up her neck. People start noticing her secretive behavior and she is forced to leave school and go home. 

When she returns home she finds out that her parents have arranged for her to marry a wealthy merchant from the Ma family. At the university, Liang ShanBo feels like his studies are dull and pointless without Zhu YingTai and decides to visit the Zhu family. When he knocks on the door he sees a young woman and asks for her brother before realizing it is Zhu YingTai herself. As soon as their eyes meet, they recognize each other and admit to his love for her, now that he knows she is a woman, proposes to her. However she has already been engaged. He is devastated but understands. Liang Shanbo tries to get her engagement broken off, but the girl’s family says breaking off engagement will bring them great shame. 

Liang Shanbo falls ill. Fearing that he would not be able to see her on the wedding day, he writes her a final letter and dies after completing it. In the letter he tells her, if you love me, you will light incense at my grave on your wedding day. On the day of the funeral, there were thunderstorms.

Zhu YingTai honors his request and lights incense, wishing they could still be together. When she is done, thunder cracks the tomb and she throws herself in the grave to join him. When the thunder clears, two butterflies come out of the grave.”

Context

The informant is both Chinese-American and a violinist. When he was in high school, he was instructed by his violin teacher to learn The Butterfly Lovers violin concerto. The Butterfly Lovers violin concerto that is based on the Butterfly Lovers Tale, which the informant learned from his mother. It is also a relatively popular Chinese tale. His interpretation of the story is that it is a cliche story about love. True love can never be hidden nor broken.

Interpretation

 The story conveys the fact that true love has no bounds and that individuals who are meant to be together will find each other in the end. This tale reinforces the traditional norms and expectations of women during the Jin Dynasty, as women were not allowed to seek an education during and had a duty to marry into a good family and be a dutiful wife. Familial expectations are seen in this story and initially act as a barrier to their love. However, Zhu YingTai sacrifices her life in order to be with her true love and they are brought together in the afterlife, which coincides with Buddhist beliefs of reincarnation. Butterflies in Chinese folklore are often associated with one’s soul, therefore the two butterflies emerging from the grave represent the fact that Zhu YingTai and Liang Shanbo have an unbreakable bond. Across other cultures, butterflies often represent a rebirth or a transformation.

The Lazy Wife

Age: 46
Occupation: Chemist
Residence: Los Angeles
Language: English

Text

“A long time ago there was a man with a really lazy wife. When he had to leave the house for a while, he was afraid she would die of hunger so he made her a necklace made of cookies. And when he came back, she died because she only ate the front of the necklace because she was too lazy. There are also other versions where he made her a blanket and she only ate the front of it also. ”

Context

The informant grew up in Taiwan and first heard this story when she was in elementary school, from her father. Her interpretation of it is the moral is to not be lazy. She notes that she was also told other stories that have a similar theme of a lazy wife.

Interpretation

This is a humorous and bizarre Chinese tale conveying how laziness will kill you, teaching a moral lesson against being excessively lazy. It reveals that self-sufficiency and drive is important, as someone can try to set you up for success but you have to be able to help yourself and put in some effort in order to survive. The tale portrays women in a rather poor light, exaggerating the way in which they depend on their husbands in order to survive. The variations with the food necklace and food blanket serve as an allomotif, and also shows how tales vary depending on who is telling it.


Arachne

Age: 22
Occupation: College Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Language: English

Text


“There was this one myth I remember hearing in sixth grade during our Ancient Greece unit. There was once a woman named Arachne who was known for being a talented weaver and embroiderer. People believed that Athena taught her how to weave, but Arachne proclaimed herself as being more talented than Athena and even wanted to compete with her in a contest. 

Athena came to her and warned her that she needed to respect the gods, and eventually the two competed. Athena made a tapestry that showed the importance of paying respect to the gods and Arachne was defiant and made a tapestry showing the flaws of the gods. Arachne was then punished and transformed into a spider, forced to weave for the rest of her life.”

Context

The informant recalls hearing this myth in a sixth grade. He believes that they weren’t specifically taught this myth in class, but that he read it on his own time. He believes that the significance of this story is that with great power comes great responsibility. Just because you are talented at something does not give you the right to boast about it.

Interpretation

This story is an Ancient Greek myth that serves as a possible explanation for how spiders came into our world and why spiders weave webs. In the story, Arachne commits hubris, which is known amongst the Greeks as the demonstration of excessive pride. Hubris is often a fatal flaw and leads to the downfall of the individual. In Greek mythology, the Gods and Goddesses have great power and expect everyone to demonstrate humility towards them. This myth acts as a moral lesson that you should not brag about your talents and disrespect those that have greater power.