Author Archives: Lingchong Hu

Tale: 狼 (wolf) by Songling Pu

Leave a reply
Nationality: Chinese
Age: 20

Text:

S: “ The original text is :

一屠晚归，担中肉尽，止有剩骨。途中两狼，缀行甚远。

　　屠惧，投以骨。一狼得骨止，一狼仍从。复投之，后狼止而前狼又至。骨已尽矣，而两狼之并驱如故。

　　屠大窘，恐前后受其敌。顾野有麦场，场主积薪其中，苫蔽成丘。屠乃奔倚其下，弛担持刀。狼不敢前，眈眈相向。

　　少时，一狼径去，其一犬坐于前。久之，目似瞑，意暇甚。屠暴起，以刀劈狼首，又数刀毙之。方欲行，转视积薪后，一狼洞其中，意将隧入以攻其后也。身已半入，止露尻尾。屠自后断其股，亦毙之。乃悟前狼假寐，盖以诱敌。

　　狼亦黠矣，而顷刻两毙，禽兽之变诈几何哉？止增笑耳。

So, what this means is that there is a butcher who is going home after he had sold all the meat that he brought with him. On his way home, two wolves start to follow him. The butcher gets scared and throws a bone to one of the wolves. But the other wolf is still following. So he throws another bone to the other wolf. Now he has no more bones, but the two wolves continue following him. He is very scared of being attacked from the front and rear. He sees a large wheat stack nearby and leans on it while drawing his butcher knife. The wolves see the knife and stop approaching. After a while, one wolf leaves, and the other wolf sits in front of the butcher. The sitting wolf appears to be sleeping. The butcher quickly jumps up and kills the wolf with his knife. Right before the butcher leaves, he discovers that the other wolf is digging a hole behind the wheat stack! Thus, he kills this wolf as well.

Wolves are cunning, but they can die in an instant. How many tricks do these beasts have? It only adds to the laughter.”

here is the pingyin version of the original text:

Yī tú wǎn guī, dān zhōng ròu jìn, zhǐ yǒu shèng gǔ. Tú zhōng liǎng láng, zhuì xíng shén yuǎn.

Tú jù, tóu yǐ gǔ. Yī láng dé gǔ zhǐ, yī láng réng cóng. Fù tóu zhī, hòu láng zhǐ ér qián láng yòu zhì. Gǔ yǐ jìn yǐ, ér liǎng láng zhī bìng qū rú gù.

Tú dà jiǒng, kǒng qián hòu shòu qí dí. Gù yě yǒu mài chǎng, chǎng zhǔ jī xīn qí zhōng, shān bì chéng qiū. Tú nǎi bēn yǐ qí xià, chī dān chí dāo. Láng bù gǎn qián, dān dān xiāng xiàng.

Shǎo shí, yī láng jìng qù, qí yī quǎn zuò yú qián. Jiǔ zhī, mù sì míng, yì xiá shén. Tú bào qǐ, yǐ dāo pī láng shǒu, yòu shù dāo bì zhī. Fāng yù xíng, zhuǎn shì jī xīn hòu, yī láng dòng qí zhōng, yì jiāng suì rù yǐ gōng qí hòu yě. Shēn yǐ bàn rù, zhǐ lù kāo wěi. Tú zì hòu duàn qí gǔ, yì bì zhī. Nǎi wù qián láng jiǎ mèi, gài yǐ yòu dí.

Láng yì xiá yǐ, ér qǐng kè liǎng bì, qín shòu zhī biàn zhà jǐ hé zāi? Zhǐ zēng xiào ěr.

Context:

S: “This is a short story written by Songling Pu, so I think this fits your description of tale.This is the story that I have studied for my language art in my elementary school in China. The original text is Classic Chinese. If I haven’t studied during class I wouldn’t be able to understand what the words mean as well.”

Analysis:

Wolves, as a symbol of cunning and deception, serve as a foil to the human protagonist. The story’s vivid imagery and Classical Chinese language contribute to its appeal as a piece of folklore passed down through generations, often as part of an oral tradition or in this case, as a written work by Songling Pu. This story is included in Songling Pu’s work of 聊斋志异, or Liao zhao zhi yi, which means strange stories from a Chinese studio. It’s a tale collection about faires, ghosts and monsters.

This tale is also a padagogy that teaches a moral lesson that animals can be cunning, but eventually they are only animals and the human wisdom also oppress the animals. It also teaches the kids in the elementary school that when they meet bad and cunning people like the two wolves, they need to fight like the butcher, and in smart ways. I am not sure if this is the best lesson to elementary school students.

The structure of the tale follows a classic format, with a protagonist facing a challenge or a series of obstacles, in this case, the two cunning wolves. The butcher’s fears and actions are relatable to the reader, as they convey the human instinct to survive and adapt when facing danger.

From legend to myth: the Legendary figure of Guanyu and the God of loyality and courage

Nationality: Chinese
Age: 21

Context:

The informant shares a legendary figure that later transformed into a god with mythic characteristics. The context of this legend takes place during the Three Kingdoms period in China, around the years 220-280. This is a period of upheaval characterized by distinct individuals. The protagonist of the legend, Guanyu, is one of them, serving under the Shu dynasty. Other two kingdoms were the Wu Dynasty and the Wei Dynasty. It was a time when the three nations fiercely struggled for the orthodox king of China. Guanyu was a fearless warrior and was also the sworn brother of the king of Shu.

Text:

“Guanyu was captured by Lu Meng, a general in the Wu Dynasty. After he captured Guanyu, he beheaded him and sent the head in a box as a gift to Cao Cao, the king of the Wei Dynasty. He did this because at the time, Wei was the most powerful kingdom, and Wu wanted to befriend Wei to fight Shu. When Cao Cao opened the box, he found out that it was Guanyu’s head. The head of Guanyu jumped out of the box and tried to bite. It scared Cao Cao so much that his headache attacked. But regardless of the hostile relationship between Shu and Wei, Cao Cao admired Guanyu as a warrior of great courage and loyalty. He buried Guanyu with great honor and built temples in his name. Some say that it’s because Cao Cao was afraid of the fury of the Shu Dynasty for losing the King’s brother; others say that Cao Cao truly admired Guanyu. But that’s where the legend ends.

However, the myth of Guanyu starts there. Guanyu had been woven into Taoism and become one of the Taoist gods. He is the one that represents loyalty between friends and brothers. Many of the gang members in China would worship Guanyu as a sign of the bond between their members.”

Analysis:

The transformation of Guanyu from a legendary figure to a mythic god can be seen as a natural progression in the process of cultural storytelling. In folklore, legendary figures often embody the values and qualities admired by the society that creates and perpetuates their stories. As these values become more deeply ingrained in the culture, it’s common for these figures to take on a more divine or supernatural aspect.

In the case of Guanyu, his legendary status as a courageous and loyal warrior made him a powerful symbol for the values of loyalty and brotherhood. By incorporating Guanyu into the Taoist pantheon as a god, he became a representation of these values in a more profound and spiritual way. This transition allowed for a more profound connection to Guanyu’s virtues, as people could now seek his divine assistance and protection in their lives. Also, it becomes a mythtic figure because it teaches people how to behave in life and what to believe, without the fact that many people live up to the tradtions of Guanyu, he would remain a legend.

Interestingly, Guanyu as a mythtic figure was viewed differently in different groups. In Taoists, Guanyu was one of the four great protectors of Taoism. In Buddism, Guanyu was the Galan Budda, which resembles the chief of police in the world of budda. In the business world, merchants and ordinary people view him as Martial God of Wealth who save guard their wealth and good luck. Others view Guan yu as Guandi, God of war who controls over evil spririt of the world.

legends about the ghost building in Shenyang

Leave a reply
Nationality: China
Age: 21
Occupation: student

Context:

My informant learnt about the ghost story from his father, who is a native of the Shenyang city.

text:

“There is a ghost building in Shenyang, which the old generation knows where it is, but they tacitly agreed that they would not tell the younger generation its location. They hid it because they were afraid that if young people knew about it, kids would form explore teams and seek advanture in the ghost building. So that’s why I don’t know where it is but my father know where it is.

I don’t know what happened before abou this building, but it’s hounted, and very severe. One after another, people moved out of that building. They would connect, or call the police and say ‘哎！有鬼有鬼有鬼，’or ‘Oh there is ghost!’ And because everyone moved out of the building, it become quite a big deal to the real estate developer of this building. And it also had bad influence to the local security, people were scared. The government thinks this is not the way things should be, so they sent out a team of police officer to the ghost building one night, to see what’s the real deal there.

And because it was a very famous hounted house, the police also knew about it, and they were scared as well. The police, as they should, brought guns with them.And they also brought wine, to strengthen their courage. So their plan was to drink in the ghost building and see what will hanppens. After they drunk, they slept. But the next morning when they woke up, every single one of the police officer was dragged outside of the building. They were slept in bed, but they woke up outside. So there is something wrong with the building.”

Analysis:

This is a classic example of a haunted house legend. The legend is passed down through oral tradition and is a part of the local culture. The fact that the older generation knows about the ghost building but does not disclose its location to the younger generation adds an element of mystery and intrigue to the story. This legend of the hounted house is a legend that contextual the influence of space angd time into our belief. The time of this legend appeared just after the open up of China, when there were lots of superstitious belife as well as ideas that call for science and anti-superstitious.

The emphasis on the severity of the haunting and the repeated instances of people moving out of the building due to ghostly encounters build the suspense and contribute to the eerie atmosphere of the legend. And because legends might be true, the use of the phrase “哎！有鬼有鬼有鬼”(Oh there is a ghost!) adds authenticity to the legend, as this phrase is commonly used in Chinese ghost stories and adds an element of cultural familiarity to the tale.

This legend offers insight into the beliefs and superstitions of the people of Shenyang city, as well as their attitudes towards the supernatural. The fact that people were so afraid of the haunted building that they moved out and reported ghostly encounters to the police suggests that belief in ghosts and spirits was widespread in the community. It also highlights the impact that supernatural beliefs could have on everyday life, such as the impact on the real estate market and local security. It also implied that the supersitous belief of ghost does not limit to the ordinary people, but as well as the people in the government, who supposedly based on communist doctrine, reject any superstious belief and firmly believe in science. The contridiction between dogmatic belief of the state and the actual practice of the people is particularly interesting in this context.

Legends about fox becoming fairy, or 狐狸要成仙

Leave a reply
Nationality: Chinese
Age: 20
Occupation: student

context:

This Chinese legend, known as “狐狸要成仙,” or (Fox Becoming Fairy), is a widely recognized story within the culture. It has been passed down through generations, serving as a part of the shared cultural knowledge.

text:

The name of the legend (in manderain ): “狐狸要成仙”

Pingyin(simplified): hú lí yào chéng xiān

Translation: Fox becoming fairy

“Fox have to ask you(people) a question: does she looks like a human? If the answer is that she looks like a human, then she gets to become a fairy. Thus, fox would look for human clothes to wear, and study human gesture. If someone tells fox, ‘why do you look so like human’ Then she can become a fairy. These fox fairies often lures man”

analysis: In feudal China, the oppression of women’s personalities and psychology became the perfect environment for the growth of fox fairy legends. Foxes represented the worst image of women at the time. Women were expected to maintain their chastity after marriage, and the social norms and prejudices of the time contributed to the creation of the fox fairy legend. The fox symbolizes lust and a woman’s desire for beauty, which directly contradicts the expectations of homemaking in feudal China. The term “狐狸精” or, in pinyin, “hú lí jīng,” means vixen or fox spirit, and was used to describe women who did not protect their reputation. By linking the fox’s transformation into a fairy with its ability to deceive and allure men, the story provides a narrative framework that helps contextualize and justify these cultural associations.

On the other hand, the legend also reflects the human fascination with the idea of shape-shifting and transformation. The fox’s desire to become a fairy mirrors humanity’s quest for self-improvement and transcendence. The story speaks to the idea that individuals can change and evolve, breaking free from their limitations, even if they are fox.

Ghost story in Chinese village in Sheng yang

Leave a reply
Nationality: China
Age: 21
Occupation: student

Text:

“The entrance of the village had a big millstone that the entire community shared. Every night, there would be a small, white thingy that people thought was a small white ghost, running around the millstone over and over again. And you can’t get close to it. I mean, if you get close to it, it would jump on you and start to tickle you. It would tickle you until you laughed to an extent that you couldn’t breathe anymore and died. My grandma said she saw it once, but she was not tickled by it. And after the Cultural Revolution, this little thing was gone forever.”

Context:

This legend was passed down from the informant’s grandma. The legend took place long before the Cultural Revolution in China. Our informant thinks it was the “Elimination of the Old Four” movement by the Chinese government at the time that had eliminated the ghost. The “Old Four” include old ideology, old culture, old tradition, and old customs. It was a time when many historical treasures were destroyed. The informant thinks that the villagers believed that the ghost belonged to the Old Four, so it was gone after the movement.

interpretation:

This is a great example of explaining personal experience or rationalizing it with existing legends. It’s a kind of belief enhanced by the informant’s grandma’s own sightings. Similar experiences around the village might have occurred, and added up to the formation of the ghost legend. Obviously, it’s an unwanted ghost. My interpretation of the tickling is that the ghost is small, probably a childlike figure. It’s not rational for a child to kill grown people, and laughing is often associated with children.

The “elimination of the old four” movement, or “除四旧” (pinyin: chú sì jiù), was a movement in China during the cultural revolution that caused a lot of historical antiques and culture to be destroyed. The “old four” refers to old ideas, old culture, old customs, and old habits. The movement firmly grasped the idea that old and superstitious ideas, or anything counter-scientific, went against the principle of communism. This movement’s dogma provided the villagers of Shenyang with a spiritual tool to wash away what they feared in their collective past. The small ghost by the millstone might have been a troublesome existence in the lives of the villagers. In the context of the elimination of the old four, it was eliminated and washed away like all the other things deemed bad and counter to the Communist Party.