TITLE: Chinese Myths
AUTHOR: Xueting C. Ni
PUBLISHER: Amber Books
ISBN: 9781838862626
PODCAST EPISODE: None
REVIEWER: Hilary Wilson
A long, long time ago there were ten suns rather than one. They would take turns climbing up the world tree to rest in the sky and shine down upon the world. One day, however, they all decided to climb up at once. The ten suns gamboled in the sky, shining so brightly that they burned away all the plants upon the land and evaporated all the water. If they kept it up much longer, they would destroy all life on the planet. So, Di Jun asked the Celestial Archer Hou Yi for his help to get the suns from the sky…
Xueting C. Ni retells this story, and many, many more, in her new book Chinese Myths (Amber Books Ltd., 2023). This beautiful hardcover, illustrated with 120 photographs and artworks, would make a perfect gift or display book. Its depth of information makes it suitable for reading cover-to-cover as well. Ni is an award-winning writer and translator, and has been writing about Chinese culture and mythology for decades. She brings this impressive array of knowledge into an easily digestible form within this book.
Chinese Myths covers a diverse set of Daoist and Buddhist beliefs throughout Chinese culture. In these pages the reader will be introduced to mythological emperors and immortals, demons and ghosts, and, of course, great dragon kings. Chinese history comes into clear focus through the lens of changing beliefs. Ni is careful to explain how various figures have changed over time, and illuminates the symbolism in the many pieces of artwork throughout the book.
This is a beautiful book, and it would serve well as a reference text for newcomers as well as those more familiar with Chinese culture. Xueting communicates vast amounts of information clearly and succinctly and the vast bibliography can easily serve as a starting point for in-depth study.
AUTHOR: Xueting C. Ni
PUBLISHER: Amber Books
ISBN: 9781838862626
PODCAST EPISODE: None
REVIEWER: Hilary Wilson
A long, long time ago there were ten suns rather than one. They would take turns climbing up the world tree to rest in the sky and shine down upon the world. One day, however, they all decided to climb up at once. The ten suns gamboled in the sky, shining so brightly that they burned away all the plants upon the land and evaporated all the water. If they kept it up much longer, they would destroy all life on the planet. So, Di Jun asked the Celestial Archer Hou Yi for his help to get the suns from the sky…
Xueting C. Ni retells this story, and many, many more, in her new book Chinese Myths (Amber Books Ltd., 2023). This beautiful hardcover, illustrated with 120 photographs and artworks, would make a perfect gift or display book. Its depth of information makes it suitable for reading cover-to-cover as well. Ni is an award-winning writer and translator, and has been writing about Chinese culture and mythology for decades. She brings this impressive array of knowledge into an easily digestible form within this book.
Chinese Myths covers a diverse set of Daoist and Buddhist beliefs throughout Chinese culture. In these pages the reader will be introduced to mythological emperors and immortals, demons and ghosts, and, of course, great dragon kings. Chinese history comes into clear focus through the lens of changing beliefs. Ni is careful to explain how various figures have changed over time, and illuminates the symbolism in the many pieces of artwork throughout the book.
This is a beautiful book, and it would serve well as a reference text for newcomers as well as those more familiar with Chinese culture. Xueting communicates vast amounts of information clearly and succinctly and the vast bibliography can easily serve as a starting point for in-depth study.