Library
Search
16 Chapters
The Sociology of the Chinese Racial Origin In spite of much research and conjecture, the origin of the Chinese people remains undetermined. We do not know who they were nor whence they came. Such evi…
On Chinese Mythology Mythology and Intellectual Progress The Manichæst, yin-yang (dualist), idea of existence, to which further reference will be made in the next chapter, finds its illustration in …
Cosmogony-p’an Ku and the Creation Myth The Fashioner of the Universe The most conspicuous figure in Chinese cosmogony is P’an Ku. He it was who chiselled the universe out of Chaos. According to Chin…
The Gods of China The Birth of the Soul The dualism noted in the last chapter is well illustrated by the Chinese pantheon. Whether as the result of the co-operation of the yin and the yang or of th…
Myths of the Stars Astrological Superstitions According to Chinese ideas, the sun, moon, and planets influence sublunary events, especially the life and death of human beings, and changes in their co…
Myths of Thunder, Lightning, Wind, and Rain The Ministry of Thunder and Storms As already noted, affairs in the Otherworld are managed by official Bureaux or Ministries very similar to those on earth…
Myths of the Waters The Dragons The dragons are spirits of the waters. “The dragon is a kind of being whose miraculous changes are inscrutable.” In a sense the dragon is the type of a man, self-contr…
Myths of Fire The Ministry of Fire The celestial organization of Fire is the fifth Ministry, and is presided over by a President, Lo Hsüan, whose titular designation is Huo-tê Hsing-chün, ‘Stellar So…
Myths of Epidemics, Medicine, Exorcism, Etc. The Ministry of Epidemics The gods of epidemics, etc., belong to the sixth, ninth, second, and third celestial Ministries. The composition of the Ministry…
The Goddess of Mercy The Guardian Angel of Buddhism As Mary is the guiding spirit of Rome, so is Kuan Yin of the Buddhist faith. According to a beautiful Chinese legend, Kuan Yin. when about to ente…
