maritmarit Posted March 24, 2010 at 10:29 AM Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 at 10:29 AM Hi, I'm a student illustration working on a project about Chinese fairy tales. I've collected some fairy tales and now I want to know who are the heroes from the Chinese fairy tales. I think in every country we have our fairy tale heroes (like Snow white, Rapunzel, Cinderella...) So please tell me who is your Chinese fairy tale hero and why! Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yonglin Posted March 24, 2010 at 01:25 PM Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 at 01:25 PM For some reason "hero" immediately made me think of Lei Feng... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirwoji Posted March 25, 2010 at 03:36 PM Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 at 03:36 PM One evening while I was teaching a night class in China, there was a huge commotion outside the classroom. My students and I went out to discover hundreds of other students watching the sky--Chang'e-1, the lunar vessel, was being launched and appeared as a bright star flying upwards through the sky! We were crazed with excitement. That moment was so memorable, I'd have to say my most beloved Chinese "fairytale" character would be Chang'e (嫦娥), the moon goddess the spacecraft was named after. I also like that the story features a bunny keeping her company on the moon, which is adorable. ^^ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skylee Posted March 25, 2010 at 03:46 PM Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 at 03:46 PM and how about the hero? don't you know there is supposed to be someone else on the moon besides the lady and the rabbit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirwoji Posted March 25, 2010 at 05:17 PM Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 at 05:17 PM There's supposed to be a woodcutter, but he doesn't sound anymore of a hero than Chang'e. He keeps trying to cut down that tree, and never succeeds! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miss_China_so_much Posted March 26, 2010 at 12:19 PM Report Share Posted March 26, 2010 at 12:19 PM I can think of following: Sad love stories: 后羿与嫦娥 梁山伯与祝英台 白娘子与许仙 Others: 钟馗嫁妹 宝莲灯（沉香救母） Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skylee Posted March 26, 2010 at 12:34 PM Report Share Posted March 26, 2010 at 12:34 PM 梁山伯与祝英台 I LOVE the story, but it is not a fairy tale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xiaocai Posted March 27, 2010 at 05:22 AM Report Share Posted March 27, 2010 at 05:22 AM For some reason "hero" immediately made me think of Lei Feng... I think Lei Feng is more than just a fairy tale... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clevermae Posted March 30, 2010 at 06:52 AM Report Share Posted March 30, 2010 at 06:52 AM The only Chinese fairytale I know is "The Nightingale." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zhenzhen1985 Posted April 28, 2010 at 07:04 AM Report Share Posted April 28, 2010 at 07:04 AM 西游记（Pilgrimage to the West or A Westward Journey to Buddha） It is a triditional fare tale and a very famous work in China.（as famous as hong lou meng，san guo yan yi，shui hu zhuan） hero： 孙悟空 Monkey King 唐僧 Monk Tang 猪八戒 沙僧（sorry，i don't know how to translate） 玉皇大帝 the Jade Emperor 王母娘娘 Heavenly Queen Mother Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lu Posted April 28, 2010 at 09:43 AM Report Share Posted April 28, 2010 at 09:43 AM 沙僧(sorry, i don't know how to translate)I've seen him translated as 'Sandy', which I think works very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
putonghua73 Posted July 11, 2010 at 03:01 PM Report Share Posted July 11, 2010 at 03:01 PM (edited) 西游记 (Journey to the West) is one of the 4 great works of Chinese literature (四大名著), but I wouldn't necessarily describe the novel as a fairy-tale. I find parallels in this thread to the 'Ghost, Goblins, Gods And Demons' thread in as much as fairy-tales, myths and legends embody the culture from which they originate; hence a direct comparison may not be possible, without an understanding of the cultural norms and values. Another point, we should probably agree upon a common definition of what we would classify as a 'fairy-tale', a 'myth' and a 'legend'. I've heard of a few Chinese myths and legends (Cowherd and the Weaving Girl), but precious little, if any fairy-tales. It would be nice - if slightly ambitious - to try and read a few Chinese fairy-tales, myths and legends in Chinese; although I had no choice but to read 西游记 in English, because it will be many, many years before I can even attempt to read 四大名著 in Chinese - let alone finish them in my lifetime! That said, one of my homework assignments a couple of weeks ago, was to write a composition providing a general synopsis of the 4 main characters in 西游记, and describe their personalities. A lot of obscure words that have religious / spiritual, as well as supernatural, connotations will stick in my head, but I have real difficulty remembering banal words such as 熟悉 (to be familiar). Cheers! Edited July 11, 2010 at 03:14 PM by putonghua73 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and select your username and password later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.