Legend of the White Snake

Long ago in China, when the world was new, there lived a white snake. She called the banks of the West Lake in Hangzhou her home and from there she would watch the humans, longing to be one of them. The snake was kind and did many good deeds in the hopes that someday she would be able to take on human form and live amongst the people. One day the white snake met a turtle. This turtle was hateful and cold. There temperaments clashed and they had a fierce battle. The turtle was defeated and ran away disappearing into the hills.

After a millennium of training in the Taoism mystical arts, the white snake was finally able to achieve her dream. She transformed into a beautiful woman. To accompany her in her new adventures, she also transformed a younger green snake into a woman. These two snakes were as close as sisters. The white snake took the name of Bai Suzhen, while the green snake took the name of Xiao Qing. Eager to experience life as humans, the two watched the festivities of Qingming (Ancestors' Day) by the shore of the West Lake. They watched in delight until rain began to fall where they then took shelter under a large willow tree. The rain became a heavy downpour and the pair huddled together with dampened spirits. A young handsome man walking along the path saw them and offered room under his umbrella while they waited out the storm.

The young man’s name was Xu Xian. Bai Suzhen and Xu Xian smiled at each other under the umbrella. When the rain subsided, all three shared a boat ride as they headed home towards the other side of the lake. When they reached the dock, Xu Xian insisted the ladies keep his umbrella incase the rain would return while they walked home. Xiao Qing knew Bai Suzhen was smitten with Xu Xian so she quickly accepted his offer with a promise to return it the following day.

The next morning when the ladies arrived at Xu Xian’s house, he told them he was a poor man with no family and that he worked at a medicine shop for a living. Bai Suzhen admired his honesty and kindness; she did not care that he was poor. Xu Xian and Bai Suzhen got to know each other more over time and fell in love. They got married the next year and moved to the city of Zhenjiang where they opened their own medicine shop. Bai Suzhen used her powers to cure patients from all kinds of ailments and became quite famous for it. The people of Zhenjiang called her “Madam White”.

Eyes that Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho - Illustrated by Dung Ho

A young girl who is self-conscious of her almond shaped eyes, learns to embrace her own identity and see the beauty in herself. This book will resonate with many in the East Asian community; it inspires to help children see beyond the archaic ‘slanted eye’ stereotype. While there is an absence of male figures here, any girl or boy can relate to feeling different or inadequate at times. The young girl learns from example to love others and herself.

Dung Ho’s beautiful and bright illustrations emphasize the family member’s love and respect for one another while also including East Asian themes. “My eyes that kiss in the corners and glow like warm tea.” With these expressive words written in lyrical prose, Joanna Ho delivers a powerful message. It is a celebration of family, heritage, and of self-affirmation. 

Related Posts: In a Village by the Sea, The Monkey God

Amazon

HarperCollins 2021

Hardcover 40p
9.25" x 11.25"

The Yin-Yang Sisters and the Dragon Frightful by Nancy Tupper Ling Illustrated by Andrea Offermann

Twins Wei and Mei work together to defend their village against a terrible dragon named Frightful. Wei is brave and impatient while Mei is timid and clever. A fun and exciting read, this modern fairy tale shows how two little girls use teamwork to overcome their obstacles. Wei trains hard at kung fu lessons and Mei studies hard at the library, reading and learning. By combining their strengths, the twins prove that girls can be strong and intelligent.

With influences from Chinese landscape painting, the illustrations lush and detailed, display a sense of authenticity to the land and culture of its subjects. The scenery and people are descriptive without being stereotypical. The art is done in watercolour, pen and ink with digital touch ups.

The book design is quite attractive as well, having two different covers. A dust jacket is always appreciated especially when the inner cover is as fierce as this one! The thick paper selected is also handy and durable as this book will most likely be read many times over. Recommended for ages 5+.

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G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers 2018
Hardcover 40p
7.7" x 11.9"

Mid-Autumn Festival and the Legend of the Moon Goddess

The Mid-Autumn Festival or Moon Festival celebrates and gives thanks for the fall harvest. It is also a time of family reunion and moon worshiping. Held on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar when the moon is at its fullest and brightest. This tradition is widely followed in East Asia and originates from Chinese mythology.

The Jade Emperor (also Celestial Emperor) who ruled the universe had ten sons. Each day, the Sun Princes would take turns brightening the sky and warming the earth. All was well until one day the eldest Sun Prince thought it would be fun to have all of the Sun brothers shine at once. And so all ten suns appeared at once in the sky and the heat became unbearable for the earth. The seas dried up, there was no water for farming and animals died of thirst. Terrified by the catastrophe, the people implored the Jade Emperor for help.

Upon learning of his sons' thoughtless actions, the Jade Emperor commanded Hou Yi (also Shen Yi) to punish them. Hou Yi, the Celestial Archer whose arrow is the most powerful in the universe, shot nine Sun Princes down. When he was about to shoot the last one, he was stopped by the Jade Emperor who merely wanted to scare his sons, not kill them. Full of rage, the Jade Emperor banished Hou Yi and his wife Chang'e (also Heng'e) from the heavens to live on earth as mortals.

The arrival of Hou Yi and Chang'e brought joy to the people on earth for they were so grateful to this saviour and crowned him their emperor. Hou Yi ruled with generosity and kindness at first but as the years passed, he became greedy and arrogant. He longed to return to the heavens among the other deities and thought of himself to be above mankind.

In his search for immortality, Hou Yi was instructed by a hermit to visit the ancient goddess Xiwangmu (also Queen Mother of the West) who lived at the top of Mount Kunlun. Xiwangmu knew of Hou Yi's past life and his divine powers. She felt he did not deserve to share the fate of all mortals and granted him the elixir of immortality.

When Hou Yi returned home and presented Chang'e with the elixir of immortality, she was horrified. She did not want this cruel and selfish man to live forever and bring continued suffering to the people. That night after celebrating his successful return, Hou Yi fell asleep; drunk with wine. Chang'e grasped her opportunity to rid of the elixir. She did not know how else to do it but drink it all. As soon as she finished the last drop of the elixir, she began to feel lighter and lighter. She floated up weightlessly into the sky and all the way up to the moon. There she remained and became the Goddess of the Moon.

There are many variations to the names of the characters and story arcs. Other stories about Chang'e include a rabbit, her companion on the moon and the elixir is sometimes written as a pill. Chang'e also appeared in Wu Cheng'en's novel Journey to the West. During the Moon Festival, sweet baked goods are usually gifted, especially mooncakes. Traditional mooncakes have lotus seed paste filling with a salted duck egg yolk in the center that when cut resembles a moon. These cakes usually come in tin boxes with the images of Chang'e decorating the exterior.

Favorite Children's Stories from China and Tibet by Lotta Carswell Hume Illustrated by Lo Koon Chiu

Presented here are 18 popular folk tales from China and Tibet. I have fond memories of reading some of these stories in elementary school. They are very similar to Aesop's fables with anthropomorphic animals and in most cases a moral to learn. The themes of kindness and cleverness is always triumphant. Enter the world of ancient China, where magic and mystical beings abound. There are not many compilations of Chinese fairy tales written in English and Lotta Carswell Hume does an excellent translation of the stories, offering readers an insight into Chinese culture. Each short story is 2-3 pages long and is suitable for reading out loud.

Lo Koon Chiu's illustrations are displayed throughout and done in watercolour in the classic Chinese brush style. His depictions of the people and costumes add authenticity and appeal. Lo Koon Chiu studied at the Art College of Guangzhou and the Canton Technical College of Arts. The new edition available this July with reduced pricing includes 7 stories. Recommended for ages 5+.

Amazon
Tuttle Publishing 2004
Hardcover 112p
9" x 9"

The Monkey God by Wu Cheng'en - Graphic Adaptation Illustrated by Jian Yi

In celebration of the Lunar New Year, we'll be reviewing an adaptation of Journey to the West. This story is considered to be one of the Four Great Classical Novels from Chinese literature. Written by Wu Cheng'en in the 16th century during the Ming Dynasty. Predating even the fairy tales by the Grimm Brothers and Charles Perrault, Journey to the West has maintained its popularity throughout the years in East Asia. This novel originated from true events. Xuanzang, a Chinese Buddhist monk traveled to India in the 6th century to obtain Buddhist sutras. His trek lasted seventeen years, during which time he documented in detail his exotic travels. It is from these recordings that inspired the novel Xiyouji or Journey to the West.

From fact to fiction, the novel sensationalizes these recordings by adding elements of fantasy. In it, Xuanzang is accompanied by three protectors on his epic quest: Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing and the anti-hero Sun Wukong. Sun Wukong is commonly known in English as the Monkey King. Sun Wukong is a clever and powerful deity whose personal quest is to seek immortality. This adapted version by Jean David Morvan, Yann Le Gal and illustrated by Jian Yi titled, The Monkey God is a graphic novel. This is a small book with three parts and I took a break from reading at each chapter. The font was small and it took longer to read than expected. The text reads like a script and the pictures like a camera, it feels like I was watching a Hong Kong fantasy movie, only better. There's a lot of action, a lot of martial arts and a lot of magic. All the main Chinese gods and immortals appear in this story. The Buddha makes a cameo while Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy makes several appearances to guide and aid the travelers. There is violence and killings of shape-shifting demons by the hands of Wukong so it is not a story for the youngest of readers.

Jian Yi did a fantastic job with the art. The action is drawn in many different angles and perspectives throughout, making the pages very exciting to look at. His style isn't too manga like. Both the inking and colouring is in excellent detail. Because the illustrations are so good, some of the action sequences don't even require any text. The drawn landscape, architecture and costumes of ancient China are beautifully depicted.

The Monkey God is #12 in the Classics Illustrated Deluxe series from Papercutz. This gem of a book is packed with action as our heroes venture on the path towards enlightenment and redemption. It is an exciting introduction to some of the most revered mythological characters in Chinese literature. Recommended for ages 9+.

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Papercutz 2014
Hardcover 152p
6.6" x 9.1"