by Branislava Džunova-Stošić
Columnist for Portal Biznis Magazine, Serbia
I got my first pictures and impressions of China by reading the book “Chinese Folktales”. In the little green book, I met Shigar in the story “The Hero Shigar”. He had two wives and both thought they were special. Shigar lived countless years ago when seven suns and six moons shone in the sky. Thanks to his brave intervention, the cosmic balance was established, and the animals and birds were freed from their tyrants, the great snake and the dangerous dragon. That’s why we now have one Sun and one Moon.
Alas, Shigaru was not lucky enough to enjoy his success. Possessive and ungrateful women came to his head, on the way back from his campaign. They cut off the ears of his miraculous horse, wanting to prevent him from traveling again, and he, along with the horse, drowned in the sea. Grieving birds look for him every spring, moving from one end of the world to the other.
“The HeroŠigar” – a magnificent combination of a fairy tale about a great hero and unexpected, harsh humor from everyday life.
The second fairy tale “Brocade from Chuang” is along the lines of a lesson about work and perseverance. It tells of a poor old woman with skillful hands, capable of turning everything she sees into patterns on brocade. So, in the window of a store, she saw a picture of an estate where everyone lives happily and in abundance. It took three years to weave that vision into a wonderfully beautiful brocade and start a chain of changes. Her three sons reacted differently to the challenges offered. The eldest and middle son succumbed to the temptations of money, while the third son accepted his mother’s philosophy that without hard work and belief in dreams, there is no future. There is less magic and more reality in this story. Basically, it emphasizes how important harmony is in the family. Also, the tradition of raising silkworms and the development of sericulture are glorified.
In general, as a literary genre, Chinese fairy tales have universal characteristics: the connection between the real and the supernatural; attributing human characteristics to animals; using miracles as a means to break the shackles placed on man by nature, but also by man himself. Finally, they contain elements of justice which, unlike reality – always wins!
Finally, what makes Chinese folktales special? The fact that they are sometimes witty, that they glorify wisdom and dexterity, and stigmatize stupidity and dishonorable behavior. Well, that they are Chinese!
*The views and opinions expressed in the articles are solely those of the individual authors and do not reflect the position of the Secretariat of the Belt and Road Journalist Network.