Chinese Fairy Tales and Fantasies (The Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library)

The tales and fables contained within this book are absolutely wonderful. The message in most all of these stand the test of time and are as relevant today as they were when written. I read from this book almost nightly to my daughters for their bedtime story and they enjoy them also.

I chose this book to teach with a high school class devoted to studying China. The stories reflect both Confucian and Taoist philosophies. They open the door to great discussion. One student wants to buy his copy from the school when we finish.

<y 12 year old hasn't put this down since we purchased it. nice exposure to outside literature as his school has not bracnhced this far...

Sometimes you just want some quick reading material. I also have other myth books in this series. I find it fascinating that similar stories exist all over the world.

I love fairy tales! And with Amazon I found fairy tales from all over the world all in one place. This book gives you a good look at Chinese culture through their fairy and folk tales. I recommend to anyone who likes fairy tales or wants an interesting look at Chinese culture.

I was expecting much more - especially that the book was recommended by a friend. First of all - these are not stories for children, as many of them are involving concubines and cruelty. Interesting was the explanation before the stories about differences and struggles between followers of Confucianism and Taoism. Some of the stories have interesting philosophical meanings in them, but I was looking for tales for children, especially that I have good recollections about Chinese tales from my childhood.

It is a book of folktales. Most Americans have a background in English and translated Grimm's Fairy tales. Folk stories from other countries gives different viewpoints and a deeper understanding of the society's roots.

Save your money this book is not a fairy book and does not have illustrations worthy of the title. The stories are rather negative and not very traditional in my opinion.

Tenho vários livros desta mesma coleção e este em particular é meu favorito. As histórias chineses se assemelham um pouco dos koan do zen budismo, com ótimas lições e mensagens. Há tbm histórias sem foco em passar mensagens, mas simplesmente retratar o mundo fantástico chinês e nesse ponto este livro tbm é ótimo. As histórias são curtas, alguma de meia página outras de 3 ou 5 páginas. Todas, independente do tamanho, são intrigantes especialmente para o leitor ocidental amante de fantasia.

Raccolta di 95 storie, più o meno brevi, di letteratura cinese dal 5° secolo a.C. al 18° secolo d.C., divise in 6 capitoli: Racconti di incantesimi e di magia; Racconti di follia e di cupidigia; Il regno animale; Donne e mogli; Spiriti e anime; Giudici e diplomatici; oltre a Una storia non ufficiale dell'Accademia confuciana. Il libro, di 268 pagine, contiene vari disegni presi dall'enciclopedia Ming "San Ts'ai T'u Huei", o Compendio di illustrazioni per i tre ordini di cielo, terra e uomo (1608). L'autore inspiegabilmente ama utilizzare spesso un modo di scrivere e dei termini curiosamente manierati.

I am trying to read all The Pantheon series, although not all of them are available on Kindle. Luckily, this one is! This is a great book and I am enjoying it very much.

Amazing

Moss Roberts has made an excellent job of translating these ancient Chinese tales and anecdotes into English. They are fascinating, enlightening and entertaining in a variety of ways and so much more rewarding than the constant three son/daughter syndrome found in so many European folk tales and no fairies are involved, although there are a few dragons. Best of all, these tales, and especially the short anecdotes, are thought provoking. They stimulate the imagination, leading the reader into creative thinking, which inspires a wholesome state of mind far removed from boring conventionalities. The adage telling us that those who travel the farthest are those who remain in one place comes readily to mind when reading these tales, many of which are mind stimulating rather than escapist in quality. Perhaps, best of all, is the fact that the tales are both timeless and tireless. Not only do they apply in any day and age, they also inspire us to read them many times with each time teaching us something new about human nature and the way we think and act. Most of us, having finished reading some novel or other, have had the experience of feeling that the character building has been ruined by too much waffle. Well, here's the anecdote to all that going back through at least three millennia. We have here a fascinating read.