Oral Traditions in Contemporary China - Healing a Nation

Through a historical survey and analyses of oral traditions like fairy tales, proverbs, and ballads, among others, that are still in vigorous practice in China today, this informative and stimulating book proposes a theoretical framework for interpreting how and why traditions continue or discontinue in any culture.

List of contents

Part I: Introduction: An Interpretive Framework for the Continuity of Traditions
Chapter 1: Folklore and Folkloristics in China
Chapter 2: The Inherent Cultural Self-Healing Mechanism
Part II:Gushi: Tales of Chinese Characteristics
Chapter 3: Fairytale as Tonghua: Localizing Narrative Genre and National Spirit
Chapter 4: The Moon Man: A Tale in Telling for a Thousand Years
Part III: Yanyu: Proverbs of Stereotypes and Life-Views
Chapter 5: Proverbs with Chinese Characteristics: A History in and outside China
Chapter 6: Older Ginger Is Spicier: Chinese Life-views in Proverbs
Part IV: Geyao: Ballads and Stories without Words
Chapter 7: The Trilateral Trajectories: Oral, Literary and Musical Traditions of Ballads
Chapter 8: Stories without Words: The Traditionalization of a Musical Instrument

About the author

Juwen Zhang is professor of Chinese and folklore at Willamette University, Salem, Oregon.

Product details

• Authors: Juwen Zhang
• Publisher: Lexington Books
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 08.11.2021
• EAN: 9781793645135
• ISBN: 978-1-79364-513-5
• No. of pages: 262
• Series: Studies in Folklore and Ethnology: Traditions, Practices, and Identities
• Subject: Social sciences, law, business > Social sciences (general)