Fantastic Folk and Fairy Tales of Ethnic Chinese Peoples - Book One

By Mei Zihan and TBD

(From the pen of the chief editor Mei Zihan) Although I am Chinese, as a child I seldom heard adults tell stories of Chinese ancestry or tradition. Stories of our heritage, are important us. Folk tales teach and give children identity – yet, there were barely any stories in my heart.
 

Later, even after becoming a writer,

• Language: English
• Publisher: Heartspace Publications
• Release date: Mar 18, 2020
• ISBN: 9780648488934

TBD

Patsy Stanley is an artist, illustrator and author and a mother, grandmother and great grandmother. She has authored both nonfiction and fiction books including novels, children's books, energy books, art books, and more. She can reached at:[e-mail] for questions and comments.

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The Yao

Nationality

The Yao nationality was previously known by many names. However, after the Tang Dynasty, they became known as the Yao people. Yao means fine jade and rarity.

The Yao language belongs to the Miao-Yao Sub-family of the Sino-Tibetan Language family.

The current Yao population is around 2.65 million, most of whom live in Guangzi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Guangdong Province. Some live in Hunan Province, Yunnan Province and Guizhou Province.

Spiritual Practices

They worship nature, ancestors and totems. Some Yao villagers believe in Shamanism and Taoism.

Festivals

The Panwang, Danu, Ganba and Cendrillone are most representative of the festivals they enjoy.

The Panwang Festival falls on October 16th according to the lunar calendar, which is to memorialize the Yao King, the ancestor of the Yao nationality. The most enthusiastic event is a clay drum dance.

Danu Festival, which falls on May 29th, is also known as Zuniang Festival and Yao Year which is to memorize Miluotuo, the creator goddess of the Miao nationality. The most attractive event is the bronze drum dance.

The Ganba Festival is celebrated on March 3rd, when early in the morning the young males go hunting on the mountains or to fish the rivers. The females and old men stay at home to slaughter chicken and geese and prepare the feast. When the men return, all that has been hunted is shared throughout the village and they cook soup for everyone to share. At nightfall, the people visit each other to share a greeting and congratulations for the festival. Food and games are offered.

The Cendrillone festival follows soon after the Spring Festival, during which time the girls gather in the main street, wearing colourful clothes and holding hands, dancing in a circle. If they see a young man that they like, they will hang a flower ribbon and silver ornaments around his waist that they have embroidered.

Traditional Clothes

Traditional costumes of the Yao nationality are mainly made from green and blue native cloth. Men wear a collarless short gown with buttons down the front. In winter, they include long trousers.

The women wear a collarless garment with buttons on the right, as well as long trousers, a short skirt or a pleated skirt. The collars, cuffs, the front of garment, belt and skirt are decorated with colourful embroidered stitch work. An old saying is that, ‘Yao people love five-coloured clothes’. Women also love to decorate their heads with silver hairpins, silver flowers, strings of silver beads and half-moons, together with colourful kerchiefs, the longest of which is over ten meters long.

Diet

The staple food of the Yao nationality is corn, rice or sweet potato. They fry tea leaves then season these with salt, pepper, and ginger and stew this with parched rice, beans or rice flower (the flavour of which is really special). Yao people are fond of sweet wine. If they have guests, the host is sure to offer sweet wine.

Traditional Dwellings

The traditional residence of the Yao nationality is a half-sided building, full building, and a quadrangle dwelling. The half-sided building is built on a slope with a building as the front part and a second story at the back. The full building in contrast, is built along a river or on level ground half way up a mountain. The quadrangle dwelling is four buildings with a square courtyard within.

Civilian house of the Yao nationality

The Yao Nationality

Shoot the Moon

In ancient times, there was no moon or stars, only the sun in the sky. At night, no light could be seen to illuminate the land. One night, suddenly, there appeared in the sky a blindingly bright moon with jagged edges and angles, like a massive rock expelled from an explosion. Its scorching heat dried the crops in the field. The people were singed and dazed by its brightness, nor could they sleep because of the light and heat.

‘We hate this scorching moon,’ the people moaned. ‘We are too hot, with sweat covering our faces, and our breath coming 1 in pants… It’ll burn us to cinders.’

At that time, a young couple lived at the foot of Mt. Dashi. The name of the husband was Yala. He was a good hunter and hunted in the mountain every day for their living. His wife, Nie, made excellent brocade and stayed at home. Seeing that the moon was so ferocious, Nie said to Yala, ‘You are a good shot. Go and shoot the moon out to save us.’

Yala fetched his best bow and strongest arrows before heading to the top of the mountain. When there he set an arrow in his bow and aimed at the moon. However, his arrow dropped short and fell from the air. He shot all his arrows without success.

Looking up at the scorching moon, with a heavy sigh he pondered what to do next. Hearing a noise, he looked up in time to see a big rock shudder as it rolled to the side to reveal a cave. From within, an old man emerged. He was gnarled and weathered, much like the rock of the cave.

Without any emotion, the man said, ‘Know that there is a huge tiger in South Mountain and a tall deer in North Mountain. If you want to have the strength in your arms, you must kill them and eat their meat. Then, make a bow with the tail of the tiger. The string of the bow you make from the tiger’s tendon. The arrow is to be made from the deer’s horn. With these, you will shoot the moon to save the