Genre: verbal lore

Category: Mythology

Collection date: Apr.27th, 2022

Main piece:  

Original script:

“愚公是一个老头，然后，他家门前有两座大山，一座山叫太行山，一座山就王屋山，这两个山特别大，把他出门的路给堵死了，出门特不方便。所以愚公立志，我一定要把山移开，然后他带领他家里的人，每天去山上搬石头，每天搬一点。他有一个邻居，邻居叫智叟。智叟和他说：‘你这个山，什么时候能搬完，这种行为太愚蠢了。’愚公就说，我搬的很少，但我有孩子，我孩子有孩子，我孩子的孩子有孩子，一辈辈搬下去，总有一天，我会把山移走的。”

Full translation:

“Yugong was an old man. There were two mountains in front of his house. One is the Taihang mountain; the other is Mount Wangwu. The two mountains were so big that they blocked his way out. It was inconvenient to go out. Therefore, Yugong made a decision that he will remove the mountain. Then, he leads his family to take some stones from the mountain every day. He had a neighbor named Zhisou. Zhisou told him: ‘This is a big mountain. How can you move them? You’re doing stupid things.’ Yugong answered: ‘I can only move a little of the mountain, but I have kids, my kids will have kids, and the kids of my kids will have kids. As long as we persist, eventually, the mountain will be removed.”

Contextual data:

Social context:

This lore is one of the most prominent folktales in China. The informant learned this story from textbooks when he was in elementary school. It is often used by teachers at school to educate kids and encourage people to put effort into work. 

Cultural context:

The informant has a mixed cultural background of northern and southern Chinese. He defines himself to have a stronger connection with northern China, specifically Beijing. 

Informant’s comment:

“ The word choice in this story is smart. It uses characters’ names to metaphor bigger concepts. Yugong (愚公, direct translation: stupid man) seems to be stupid, and Zhisou (智叟, direct translation: smart man) seems to be smart. However, in fact, Yugong is a real smart man, and Zhisou only has small cleverness. I think this represents the spirit of the Chinese. As long as you pay an effort and be consistent, you can achieve your goal eventually.”

My comment: 

This is lore that has an author recorded in history. However, as it gets spread in communities, more variations of the story developed and the original author is no longer remembered by most people. Now, most people perceive this story as a tale spread through words of mouth.

Genre: customary lore

Category: ceremony

Collection date: Apr.27th, 2022

Main piece:  

“In traditional Chinese weddings, there is a step where the bride and groom would need to kowtow to three things. First, they salute the sky and earth; second, they salute their parents; and finally, the bride and groop would salute each other.”

Contextual data:

Social context:

The informant learned this folklore from movies, televisions, and stories. It is no longer a custom performed in regular daily lives, but it is a concept known by most people. 

Cultural context:

The informant has a mixed cultural background of northern and southern Chinese. He defines himself to have a stronger connection with northern China, specifically Beijing. 

Informant’s comment:

“This ceremony has a similar purpose as the exchange of rings and swearing oath in a western wedding. It represents the traditional Chinese understanding of marriage. Kowtow to the sky and earth to show people’s respect towards nature; kowtow to parents to thank them for raising themselves; kowtow to each other to show their respect towards each other. ”

My comment: 

This is a tradition rarely practiced in modern times. However, people still know it from stories and are still influenced by it.

Genre: Customary lore

Category: Custom/Festival

Collection date: Apr.27th, 2022

Main piece:  

Original Scrpit:

“中国有一个节日叫端午节，大概在每年六月份。粽子是用植物叶子包裹糯米和其他食材，枣子、豆沙、肉，放在锅里蒸熟。这个习俗来源于一个传说，中国古代有个爱国诗人叫屈原，当时他的祖国被灭了，他走到一条江，叫汨罗江，走到这里，他很感伤，就很怀念自己的祖国，就投水自尽了。当地的百姓，特别敬佩他的行为，觉得他是一个有高尚情操的人，他们怕他的尸体被鱼虾吃了，然后就纷纷把粽子仍在江里，鱼虾吃粽子就不会破坏他的尸体，这就是这个食品的由来。”

Full translation:

“There is a holiday in China called the Dragon Boat Festival that happens around June every year. Zongzi is a type of food that uses leaves to wrap sweat rice and other ingredients such as Chinese dates, red bean paste, and pork belly. This custom comes from a legend. In ancient China, there was a patriotic poet named Quyuan. His country was defeated. He walked to a river, named Miluo. He felt very sad, and he missed his country much. He decided to end his life by jumping into the water. The locals admired his determination. They are afraid that his body will be eaten by the fishes and shrimps in the river. They threw Zongzi into the river so the fish and shrimp won’t eat his body. This is the origin of this type of food.”

Contextual data:

Social context:

The informant learned this story from all kinds of sources, including word of mouth, television, and tourist destinations. Every year during the Dragon Boat Festivals, this story will be brought up in all kinds of media. Every year, people will eat Zongzi and listen to these stories. 

Cultural context:

The informant has a mixed cultural background of northern and southern Chinese. He defines himself to have a stronger connection with northern China, specifically Beijing. 

Informant’s comment:

“The story should be real, but the origin of this food is probably not related to Quyuan’s story. To commemorate Quyuan, people related these two things together. This is a symbol of traditional Chinese culture. This food could represent Chinese culture. The spirit of Quyuan is accepted and appreciated by the entire Chinese community, and the story lasted for thousands of years.”

My comment: 

This is a very common way in traditional cultures to commemorate things, and many of these stories have the purpose of educating people about some good qualities. You can learn about a culture’s values and standards through these kinds of legends.

Genre: customary lore

Category: Custom

Collection date: Apr.27th, 2022

Main piece:  

“Roasted lamb is one of the traditional cuisines for Chinese Mongols. Usually, the entire roasted lamb will be brought to the dining table including the goat’s head. The most revered person in the room will use the knife to cut first horizontally and then vertically on the head of the roasted lamb. The person will then slice a small piece of meat from the back of the goat and eat it first. The rest of the roasted lamb will then be broken down by the chef and brought back to the dining place for everyone to eat.”

Contextual data:

Social context:

The roasted lamb was quite a luxurious cuisine in the past and was usually eaten during important festivals or celebrations. The most revered person in the family will be granted the right to have the first bite to honor their contribution to the family. The horizontal and vertical cuts on the forehead of the roasted lamb are a way to show respect to nature, praying that nature will keep helping them bring food to the table.

Cultural context:

The informant is a Mongol Chinese. She grew up in Beijing, China and came to the U.S. for post-secondary education. She has a mixed cultural background of Mongols and Northeastern Chinese. 

Informant’s comment:

“It is an interesting tradition that Chinese Mongols have and I think it reflects the cultures back in the nomadic times.”

My comment: 

There is a similar tradition of eating roasted ducks in Beijing, China as well. It represents respect for the elderly in Chinese culture.