Customer Reviews

The Mending of the Sky and Other Chinese Myths (Retold by Xiao Ming Li)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Myths of creation and invention are retold from classical Chinese by Xiau Ming Li, illustrated with striking halftones from watercolors by Shanghai painter ShanMingWu, enhancing this wonderful little collection, with its titles in English and Chinese caligraphy. It is the most accessible for adults and children, great for reading aloud. It confirms the inherent need of humankind to order the world, discover one's place in the universe, give meaning to one's existence, in stories of creation and invention (PanGu separated the earth from the heavens, NuWa, lonely here, invented the human race in her image; discovery of silk, of writing systems, pottery, fire for cooking, herbal medicine, recording of floods and droughts that parallel other mythologies.)

Before the sky and the earth were separated, there was only chaos and darkness swirling around like the inside of a big egg. Pan Gu awoke, split it open, the sky and earth were formed: "The light stuff inside the egg rose up to become the sky; the heavy, dark stuff subsided to become the earth...."

These stories explain the rise of agriculture, the power struggle among early emperors and demigods, provide a window on ancient and present-day Chinese beliefs and legends. We marvel at the human ingenuity that helped people to overcome adversity. I got 3 for my nephews and mother,and recommend using these stories in a junior or highschool classics class on comparative mythology.