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While thinking about how to write for the Remyth Project, I remembered an author who might very well help (or at least give assistance) in the area of Chinese mythology.
Barry Hughart. Yes, a white man is my choice for telling white people about ancient Chinese culture; I observe the irony. But sometimes it takes a white to explain things to whites. Sometimes we need to rely on the white allies to explain things to the Clueless White People. (Although I don't know if Hughart would be considered an ally, but his world and background is so very completely Chinese mythological, and his characters are very Chinese in their behaviour and thoughts - at least, there are elements that I recognise in there as being peculiarly culturally Chinese.)
The three books I'm thinking of are the Master Li and Number Ten Ox trilogy (there were supposed to be seven or eight of them - I'm so disappointed that there aren't more of them!): The Bridge Of Birds, The Story Of The Stone, and The Eight Skilled Gentlemen.
The first time I read the books, I drank them in. They were vivid and bright and each story was a mystery and a wonder. And the culture was essentially the Chinese version of our modern obsession with things Renaissance or Medieval - hearkening back to the elements of an older time - only one that we've made cleaner, brighter, funnier, and with better hygiene.
They're not accurate - they don't paint a historically correct picture of China. But it might give you an idea of how much broader China is than mere communism and the label 'made in' - that there are thousands of years of culture and legend, mythology and belief in a land that was old and grand back when the ancestors of the modern Brits wore woad as eyeliner.
The problem with recommending Barry Hughart is that none of these books are in print anymore. I bought three pre-used ones, but finding them anywhere else is going to be a struggle (or expensive). Although there might be an omnibus out - printed in 1998.
Still, if you come across these in your local library (as I did the first time), then by all means, I encourage you to read them and step into a world that only references the western legends and mythology you know so well.
Barry Hughart. Yes, a white man is my choice for telling white people about ancient Chinese culture; I observe the irony. But sometimes it takes a white to explain things to whites. Sometimes we need to rely on the white allies to explain things to the Clueless White People. (Although I don't know if Hughart would be considered an ally, but his world and background is so very completely Chinese mythological, and his characters are very Chinese in their behaviour and thoughts - at least, there are elements that I recognise in there as being peculiarly culturally Chinese.)
The three books I'm thinking of are the Master Li and Number Ten Ox trilogy (there were supposed to be seven or eight of them - I'm so disappointed that there aren't more of them!): The Bridge Of Birds, The Story Of The Stone, and The Eight Skilled Gentlemen.
The first time I read the books, I drank them in. They were vivid and bright and each story was a mystery and a wonder. And the culture was essentially the Chinese version of our modern obsession with things Renaissance or Medieval - hearkening back to the elements of an older time - only one that we've made cleaner, brighter, funnier, and with better hygiene.
They're not accurate - they don't paint a historically correct picture of China. But it might give you an idea of how much broader China is than mere communism and the label 'made in' - that there are thousands of years of culture and legend, mythology and belief in a land that was old and grand back when the ancestors of the modern Brits wore woad as eyeliner.
The problem with recommending Barry Hughart is that none of these books are in print anymore. I bought three pre-used ones, but finding them anywhere else is going to be a struggle (or expensive). Although there might be an omnibus out - printed in 1998.
Still, if you come across these in your local library (as I did the first time), then by all means, I encourage you to read them and step into a world that only references the western legends and mythology you know so well.
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I picked up Bridge of Birds not long ago, but haven't gotten a chance to read it yet - thanks for the reminder!
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I picked up Bridge of Birds not long ago, but haven't gotten a chance to read it yet - thanks for the reminder!
no subject