11 h 7 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if the stranger at the inn belongs to a world you cannot see?
The Chinese Fairy Book, gathered by Richard Wilhelm, brings together tales from China's oral and written traditions. Fox spirits, ghosts and immortals share the world with poor scholars, clever youths and officials who are less wise than they think. A traveller stops at an inn; a student reads in an empty house. The ordinary moment opens onto something strange.
The collection moves from spirits living beside people to dragon kings ruling rivers, lakes and seas. Kindness and cleverness matter: generosity, honesty or loyalty can bring unexpected help, while wit gives a humble youth a way to face stronger rivals. These short, plainly told stories move quickly, leaving their lessons for you to discover rather than spelling everything out.
What you’ll discover
- Spirits close to home Follow familiar paths where a chance meeting may bring help or harm.
- The fox spirit's disguises Meet a shape-changing being who may appear as a lovely woman or an old man.
- Rulers of hidden realms Encounter dragon kings who command rain and flood, and mountain sages who offer lessons.
- Wit against strength Watch humble young people rely on cleverness when their rivals hold wealth or power.
- Small tales, quiet lessons Discover brief stories where strange events invite you to think about kindness and loyalty.
Who will love it
You will enjoy this if you love folk tales, myths of dragons and immortals, ghost stories with a sting, or want a lively way into Chinese storytelling and belief.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Greed and moderation shape the first tales
- Clever women and quick wits win the day
- Children outwit monsters in the wild tales
- Gods, stars and festivals have a story behind them
- Wild heroes and heavenly warriors fight and change
- Saints and magicians test greed and fear
- Dragons, flower spirits and tiny armies share the world
- Ghosts, fierce officials and old legends teach justice
- Longer tales of love, foxes and a stone ape
Who’s who
- The younger brotherA hardworking farmer who follows a Roc to an island of gold and takes only what he needs.
- Little Golden DaughterA beggar king's clever and gifted daughter who marries a scholar and helps him rise.
- NotschaA wild boy born in a ball of flesh who defies dragons and even his own father.
- Du Dsi TschunA spendthrift who is helped three times by a kindly old man and then must stay silent through terrors.
- GiaunaA young maiden whose brother asks her to cure his scholarly friend's illness.
- Rose of EveningA dancer in the Dragon Prince's castle who catches Aduan's eye.
- Sun Wu KungA stone ape who learns magic, wants to live forever and refuses to bow to heaven.
- DragonbeardA mysterious hero with a curling mustache who meets Li Dsing and the fan-bearer on the road.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 11 h 7 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 7 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Read and hear Il libro delle fiabe cinesi in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Il libro delle fiabe cinesi
by Richard Wilhelm (curatore) · 1914
A Roc snatches a farmer's towering ear of millet and flies toward the sea.
Medium level10–20 hours to read25 languages
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In short
What happens to a man who stays too long on an island of gold while a giant bird waits for him? This collection, gathered by Richard Wilhelm from Chinese sources, opens with that tale and moves on to gods, immortals, ghosts, dragons and clever women.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Greed and moderation shape the first tales
The book opens with short nursery tales, and most of them teach by showing what a grasping hand costs. In the first, a younger brother sows grain that his brother's wife has secretly boiled. Only one seed sprouts. A huge Roc carries the younger one to an island of gold and silver.
The younger brother takes a dozen small pieces and stops. His older brother envies his new wealth and asks how he gets it. Another tale gives a boy named Small Profit and a second figure named Great Duty. A priest gives each brother a magical helper.
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What is The Chinese Fairy Book about?
It is a collection of Chinese folk tales, myths and legends. It includes nursery tales, stories of gods and immortals, ghost tales, dragon stories, historic legends and longer literary fairy tales such as Sun Wu Kung.
Who is Sun Wu Kung?
Sun Wu Kung is a stone ape born on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits. He learns magic, seeks eternal life and rebels against heaven in the last tale.
Who collected The Chinese Fairy Book?
Richard Wilhelm is the collection's editor.
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