Uncovering Chinese Mythology: A Beginner's Guide Into The World of Chinese Myths, Enchanting Tales, Folklore, Legendary Heroes, Gods, Divine Beings, and Mythical Creatures (Ancient History Books) Paperback – June 19, 2023

For those like myself interested in learning more about the rich fabric of ancient Chinese culture, this text is a great resource as it provides a thorough investigation of Chinese mythology. It includes everything from the complex creation myths that explain the origins of life on Earth to the fundamental basis of Chinese civilization.The book creates a vivid universe full of intriguing mythological animals, half-human hybrids, and strong animal spirits that are all important characters in the tales that have influenced Chinese culture and beliefs. Emperors, cultural heroes, and folklore are included to give the stories more depth and give readers important context for understanding the moral precepts and cultural values that are woven throughout. I recommend this book and thanks to the author!

I enjoy learning about other cultures.

I have read all kinds of mythology books from other nationalities and have recently gotten back into learning about mythology again. I have read Egyptian, Norse, and Greek mythology but never Asian Mythology. This book caught my eye and I am glad I gave it a chance. It a broad range of topics, from the origins of Chinese folk religion to the era of gods and legendary creatures like the Chinese dragon and Jiangshi. The historical timelines at the beginning were a helpful review to orient to the stories. If you like origins and mythologies tied to real cultural history, you will like this book.

I highly recommend this book.This book is exactly what the title promises: a beginner's guide to ancient Chinese myths. It is well-written and accessible.The author provides an overview of the basic gods, goddesses, legends, and explanations of the creation of the world and the cosmos that took form in ancient China. The subject is covered thoroughly in a plain but entertaining style.As a lifelong fan of Greek and Norse mythologies, I found the most striking difference between Western and Asian emphasis was fairly stark. Whereas tales of European gods and heroes emphasize individualism, self-interest, and a “might makes right” philosophy, the Chinese mythic tradition bends toward benevolence and the improvement of civilization to benefit society as a whole. No wonder that we Westerners only study, but do not embrace, our myths of origin, while even with the experiment of communism, the Chinese still celebrate their myths.I would be interested to read more from this author on this subject.

Uncovering Chinese Mythology: A Beginner's Guide Into The World of Chinese Myths, Enchanting Tales, Folklore, Legendary Heroes, Gods, Divine Beings, and ... Creatures I really enjoyed. I love historical content and folklore, but often times find it difficult to invest in reading large tomes, where my attention gets lost, is time consuming, or have trouble understanding what's being written. What makes this book great is that it's short, concise, and easy to read, with informative examples of folklore, mythology, Gods, Heroes, even a brief History of China. Also, it’s broken down into categories, and organized really well. With this information, you can go on to investigate more detailed and longer works if you want to. For example, three subjects I found really fascinating and want to look into more is the Pangu being, The Monkey King (what an amazing story!) and the Magic Lotus Lantern story. A well-crafted, engaging piece by Lucas Russo!

Granddaughter, likes Mythologyjoseph

I learned more about China from this book than I had learned previously from all other sources combined. And not just about the mythology, but about the different dynansties and religions, and each of their roles in China's history and cultural development.Granted, I had not delved too deep into this subject in the past, but there's a reason. Lengthy tomes often pose a challenge—demanding excessive time and focus. This book however shines in its clarity and engaging narratives on folklore, mythology, gods, heroes, and China's history, and does so in a short, clear, and easy to understand format.A wonderful beginners guide not only to Chinese Mythology, but in many ways to China itself, and its rich history and culture as a whole.

Fun read!