Chinese Folk Tales

Being an emperor was no easy job, especially at a time when giants and monsters roamed the land, too. In this episode, a giant fought with the Yellow Emperor with his head cut off. How did he manage that?

The first major battle in Chinese history was the one between the Yellow Emperor and Chi You. It wasn't just a simple mortal affair though. Some interesting supernatural creatures were involved, too. What were they like and what did they do?

Why do Chinese people call themselves the descendants of the Yan and Yellow Emperors? Were these emperors real or mystical?

We've spent some time talking about the great hero Hou Yi. Was this handsome archer single or already taken? In fact, he was very happily married, to a fairy that was even more famous than he is!

Hou Yi is a very familiar name to the Chinese people and not just because he shot down the extra nine suns. Monsters of various sorts were out there haunting humans. Guess who stood out to tackle the challenge?

Did you know there were once ten suns in the sky? At least according to Chinese mythology. That couldn't have been good. Who saved the day? It was a hero named Hou Yi.

Today's story is about some Chinese fairies, who look nothing like Tinker Bell. What do they look like and what do they do all day?

This story is mainly about the God of Spring and the God of Autumn, but it's much more than that. The God of one thing in ancient China could be the God of so many things.

There is a saying in China that all the major rivers flow to the east. Why is that? Are there magical powers that draw them to the sea? Well, the story has to start with the Chinese God of Water and all the fights that he managed to get into. Click on the play button to listen to his stories.

People everywhere worship the sun, but maybe only the Chinese once had ten suns instead of one. How did that work out? The story starts with their Sun Goddess, the mother of the ten suns.

Every child in China has heard of Yu Gong, the Foolish Old Man. I mean, he was 90 years old when he decided to remove the two mountains in front of his house. Hmm...so how did that go？You might be surprised to hear how that ended.

Today I want to tell you about the Forest Gump of ancient China, a man not really known for his sharp wits but revered for his courage and persistence. Why did he chase the sun? Did he get there? Let me tell you all about it!

Growing up in China, I often heard of the story of a little bird named Jing Wei that tried to fill the ocean, one beakful of rocks and twigs at a time. But not until I was grown did I fully understand the fury and spirit of that legendary bird. Why did she want to fill the ocean? Let's listen and find out.

The difficulty of learning Chinese characters might be frustrating for foreigners, but you got to admit, it's better than drawing everything out in pictures like they used to do during the cave-dwelling days. How were Chinese characters invented? And by whom? We'll find out today. And, if it's of any comfort, they are not easy for Chinese to learn neither.

For some odd reason, raising silkworms as a "pet" was in fashion when I was in second grade and for someone who gets goose bumps from seeing worms, it was a difficult time. But, I have no problem with wearing silk, so shiny, smooth and cool to the touch. Who first made the connection between silkworm cocoons and the making of silk? You will find out in this episode.

With better housing and fire for cooking, life was a lot better. As a result of that, population grew and food supply ran short. Hunting and berry picking couldn't cut it anymore. Luckily, Mr. Curious the Botanist came along. What did he discover? Well, much more than you can imagine!

What would you say to sashimi everyday? Sounds fantastic! But wait, what if it's sashimi roots, vegetables, bloody raw kills, everything except salmon and tuna and the other yummy stuff? Then I think having fire would be a grand idea! So how was fire discovered according to Chinese mythology? Let me introduce Mr. Courageous!

It's no surprise that humans lived in caves back in the ancient times. But did you know that some also lived on trees? They were not quite tree houses but at least human nests. Join us on this episode and get to know the first architect in Chinese history, Mr. Youchao.

Have you heard of the Eight Diagram from ancient China that contains the secrets of the universe? Do you know who invented nets and brought about the domesticating of animals? They all have to do with an ancient Chinese God called Fu Xi, who had the body of a human but the tail of a serpent. Intrigued?

With the creation of humans, Goddess Nv Wa was no longer lonely, but the future was not all rosy for the little human creatures. One day, without warning, the sky crackled open and fire rained down. The earth rumbled with the coming of a flood. What to do? Who could save them?

The world that the Giant Pan Gu had created was beautiful, with the sun and the moon, mountains and rivers. But something was missing, something that's the source of cries and laughter, of arts and imagination, of science and culture. That's right! I'm talking about humans. How were humans created, the Chinese way?

We all know about the Big Bang Theory, but to say that our world was created from a big explosion sounds a bit too catastrophic for the taste of the ancient Chinese. So how did the world start the Chinese way? We will have to start with the giant named Pan Gu.

A million, a billion or maybe a gazillion years ago, a giant hacked open an egg. Then there was the sky, the earth, and the world as we know……Welcome to season 2 of Chinese Folk Tales and we will explore the ancient mystical world together, available in September.

Today we have a story from the Tibetan people who live in southwest China. Once upon a time, there lived three men who all had the same name, Ganjier. One was the tribal chief, one a carpenter, and the other the chief steward.

The Tibetans have a special festival called Linka. It begins on May 15 and last several days. During this period, people leave their homes and stay in the countryside. Once, a group of people went to celebrate Linka in a very beautiful villa. It was located in an out-of-the-way area. The group included an aristocrat, an official, a merchant and a landlord. There was also a cook and four servants.