China's Creation and Origin Myths: Cross-cultural Explorations in Oral and Written Traditions (Religion in Chinese Societies)

Description

How did the world begin? How were the first people created and which specific roles were they supposed to play in the cosmos? Like other mythologies worldwide, China's creation and origin myths explain how man created order out of chaos and imposed culture on nature. Cross-cultural approaches to myth make us aware of the limitations of our own familiar classifications. This book makes a provocative case for the comparative study of the hidden treasures of China's oral and written myth traditions in different languages and cultures, a legacy generously left behind by singers, storytellers, poets, and writers. This book opens new doors to the study of Chinese mythologies, a surprising and so far almost unknown world outside China. Contents Preface List of Figures and Tables List of Color Plates List of Contributors Ethnolinguistic Map of China Dynasties and Periods of China Part I Comparative Perspectives Humanity's Beginnings in Creation and Origin Myths from Around the World The World of Chinese Mythology: An Introduction From Frog to Nüwa and Back Again: The Religious Roots of Creation Myths Water-of-Immortality Myths in Altaic and Japanese Cultures Myths of Giant Corpse Transformation Part II Rediscovering the Beginning in Texts Sacred Order: Cosmogonic Myth in the Chu Silk Manuscript The Wholeness of Chaos: Laozi on the Beginning Gun and Yu: Revisiting the Chinese “Earth-Diver” Hypothesis Pangu and the Origin of the Universe Part III Oral Tradition and Ethnic Diversity Chinese Creation Myths: A Great Discovery Minority Creation Myths: An Approach to Classification Humanism as a Paradigm of Creation Myths Performing Myths Today: A Field Study of the Renzu Temple Festival Perspectives on the Environment in Miao and Yi Creation Narratives Part IV Anthology of Creation and Origin Myths Creation Myths in Chinese Minority Cultures Oroqen Origin Dangun All Creatures Made Out of Clay Bear Origin God's Creation of the World The First Man: Son of Celestial Maiden Fukulun Creation of the World by Goddess Mai Deer Khudai Blows to Create the Heaven and the Earth Creation of the Mortal World Beauty Ai Sema Zhe Pama and Zhe Mima Origin of All Living Creatures Bu Sanggai and Ya Sanggai How Heaven Came to be Separated from Earth Muq Pung Gyeu Four Generations of Man Creation of Man, Heaven and Earth Heaven and Earth Created by Frog Heaven and Earth Created by E Ya and Sha Ya Bibliography Index Color Plates