The Columbia Anthology of Chinese Folk and Popular Literature

In this ambitious anthology, two of the world's leading sinologists capture the breadth of China's folk and popular literary heritage, a rare chapter in the development of Chinese literature that redefines the nation's very history and identity. The Chinese government officially recognizes fifty-six major ethnic groups, the largest of which, Han, comprises nearly 90 percent of the population. Minorities include Yi, Miao, Tu, Daur, Tibetan, Uighur, and Kazak-each with a vibrant tradition of songs, poems, stories, and spoken drama. Chapters in this anthology cover folk stories, folk songs, folk rituals, epic traditions, folk drama, and professional storytelling in the north and south. Texts include familiar narratives, such as the story of Hua Mulan, woman warrior, and uncommon texts, such as the street performances of urban storytellers, the shaman rituals of the Manchu, and the trickster tales of the Daur people from the forests of the northeast. Readers encounter strange creatures and characters who unsettle accepted notions of Chinese fable and form. They experience the folk songs of the Zhuang and the Dong, who live among the fantastic limestone hills of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and works by the mountain-dwelling She of Fujian Province and the Cantonese-speaking boat people of Hong Kong. The editors include the epic Mongolian poems of Geser Khan and Jangar; the sad tale of Sister Qeo, from the Mongghul people of Gansu and Qinghai; and the local plays known as "rice sprouts;" originating from Hebei Province. These wild juxtapositions invite exciting comparisons among cultures, styles, and genres, and the sensitive translation of the texts preserves the individual character of each thrillingly imaginative act.