Extra Reading Diary Week 4: Chinese Fairy Tale Unit

Chinese Fairytales

The Favorite of Fortune and the Child of Ill Luck: This story is kind of depressing. The woman gives up everything to try and get some good luck and then her husband leaves her for 18 years to try and get some good luck and she is starving and living on the streets. When he comes back as emperor and she finally gets rewarded for her good faith, she lives only 18 days and then dies. Which is super sad, but I like that this story doesn't necessarily have a happy ending like most American Fairytales do. 

Why Dog and Cat are Enemies: This story finally answers the question I have had ever since I was little! Why do dogs and cats hate each other?! This has perplexed me forever. I am glad that I now know it is because the cat betrayed the dog. This story really captures the personality of cats though. They don't care what happens to those around them as long as they are fed and happy.

The Lady of the Moon: This story explains where some of the songs of the Chinese people come from. It has references to the man in the moon. The lady in the moon is apparently a wife of a prince named Hou I who ate some of the immortality her husband brought home from one of his adventures. This story was interesting to me because I really am fascinated with the moon so I wanted to read about it, but it was kind of all over the place to be honest. 

The God of War: This story is very fascinating. The Chinese worship Guan Yu as the God of War, yet he is also considered the God of Peace. I find this intriguing because having war and peace in the same entity is very crazy to me. These two opposites together in one entity can symbolize the Yin and Yang that is often present in Chinese stories. I like how Guan Yu's god like form was demanding his head back and the monk presents him with the logical argument of "why should you get your head back when your enemies have lost theirs?" and Guan Yu accepted his explanation without falter and faded away. 

(Guan Yu statue)