Chinese Folk Tales

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Embark on great audio adventures with a rich collection of Chinese folk legends and historical tales.

China Plus


    • Apr 24, 2021 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 6m AVG DURATION
    • 156 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Chinese Folk Tales

    The Chinese Cinderella

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2021 10:20


    Everyone knows the Cinderella story, but did you know that there was a Chinese Cinderella story, from over 1,500 years ago? Instead of a fairy god mother, it was a fish and an old man that helped the Chinese Cinderella get to her ball. Did she have crystal shoes too? Well, sort of but not quite.

    The boy Chen Xiang and the Lotus Lamp

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 14, 2021 8:05


    The Hua Mountain in China is known for its steepness and legend has it that it was split open by a little boy named Chen Xiang. Why would he do that and how did he do that?

    The Tale of the White Snake Fairy

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 9, 2021 14:04


    Once upon a time, a White Snake Fairy fell in love with a young man in the mortal world. Marriage followed and all was well until the Dragon Boat Festival came around. What happened during the festival and did the husband ever find out about her true identity?

    Lady Mengjiang weeping over the Great Wall

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 1, 2021 9:02


    Have you been to the Great Wall in Beijing or the Pyramids in Egypt? Have you ever wondered how these were built, one stone on top of another, without any modern machinery? These wonders of the world are so awe-inspiring to look at, but on the other hand, they were also built with the lives of so many. Here is one sad legend about the Great Wall.

    Famous ancient Chinese weapons

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 23, 2021 13:17


    If you feel like you've had enough of fairies, monsters and magical beasts, don't go away, because today's show will be about ancient weapons, some with magical powers of their own. Swords, daggers and tales of revenge!

    The Chinese Door Gods

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2021 10:52


    If you have the opportunity to travel around the countryside in China, you might notice these fierce looking gods painted on red paper pasted onto the family gates. Who are these and what are they for?

    The Eight Immortals crossing the sea

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 4, 2021 15:35


    Have you ever wished that you could live like a fairy or some sort of immortal? The immortals are known to live a carefree life in Chinese culture, but there was this really famous gang of Eight Immortals that actually got into a lot of trouble. What happened?

    The man who lived for 800 years

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 1, 2021 9:04


    What would it be like to live for 800 years? As far as I know, only a few historical characters could know about that. A man named Peng Zu was among them. What was his secret?

    The boy called Ne Zha

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 31, 2021 14:37


    How much damage can a little boy do? Well, a lot I suppose. But this little boy called Ne Zha trumps them all. What kind of waves did he make? Big and mess ones for sure.

    The Legend of Jiang Ziya

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2021 12:21


    Jiang Ziya was an unusual old man, a household name in China, even though he lived some three thousand years ago. Many remember him as this kind and wise old man from the TV series in the 1990s, someone who always knew the right thing to do and also had a clever plan.

    The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 21, 2021 11:49


    People have been celebrating Valentine's Day since the year 496 in the west. Is there a similar celebration in China? Yes and no. We do have a Valentine's Day but it all started with a rather sad story, involving once again, the Queen Mother of the West.

    Tales of Immortality and the Doughnut Peach

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 19, 2021 14:20


    Would anyone like to learn a thing or two about becoming an immortal? What about some pills from the Queen Moather of the West and throw in some doughnut peaches too! Interested?

    Magical Plants from Ancient China

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 14, 2021 6:31


    In the past few episodes, we've talked about some magical creatures in Chinese mythology, have you ever wondered if there were any magical plants? Today, I will introduce two fascinating plants that I hope had really existed. Actually, I wish they were still around.

    Monster Piggy Bank

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 11, 2021 5:40


    What do you say to a gold-stuffed piggy bank? Yes, please! That's what I would say. There was such a monster according to Chinese folk tales. Its name is Pi Xiu and it didn't look quite as cute as a pink pig.

    The impartial monster Xie Zhi

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 7, 2021 7:37


    After stories of evil monsters, I would like to introduce a nice and good one called “Xie Zhi”. The mythical creature looks a bit like a goat, or at least initially it did, except that it has only one horn. Xie Zhi loathes liars, and his horn was reserved for people who did bad things and then lied about it, basically criminals.

    The Greedy Monster Chaos

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 4, 2021 7:24


    I'm not sure if other cultures have their symbols for greediness, in China, we have the monster named Tao Tie, the two characters also stand for a "big feast"! I guess you can make that connection. So what's he like?

    Poor Monster Hun Tun

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 31, 2020 5:31


    Monsters come in all shape and sizes, but you probably haven't heard of one like this! With a name of Hun Tun, or Chaos, the monster can't be good.

    The Phoenix and the Roc Bird

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 28, 2020 8:45


    Sure you've heard of the magical bird that arises from ashes, yes, the phoenix. But that's the ancient Greek species. In this episode, we will talk about the Chinese phoenix and also another kind of giant bird. Intrigued?

    Dragons in Chinese culture

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 24, 2020 10:37


    Today we turn our attention from emperors and giants to magical creatures in Chinese history. The one leading the way is of course the dragon. Hard to say whether or not they actually existed, but it's certainly a crucial symbol for the Chinese people. Have you ever thought about keeping a dragon as a pet? Someone did.

    Xia Dynasty and Family Under Heaven

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 21, 2020 6:34


    Thirty-one episodes into our podcast we are approaching the end of the ancient part of Chinese history and the start of the first known dynasty in China, called Xia. The founder of the Xia Dynasty was the son of the Great Yu and he was born out of a rock. How did that happen?

    Great Yu and the Nine Tripods

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 17, 2020 7:01


    The Great Yu fighting the floods

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 14, 2020 7:37


    Fighting flood with magical mud

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 10, 2020 9:37


    Emperor Shun - peace under heaven

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 7, 2020 9:55


    The Saint Emperor Shun

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 3, 2020 11:40


    Emperor Yao, the perfect Chinese ruler

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 30, 2020 8:40


    Mysterious founders of Shang and Zhou dynasties

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 26, 2020 8:19


    The emperor who separated heaven and earth, again!

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 23, 2020 10:00


    The Yellow Emperor and the Giant Xing Tian

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 19, 2020 8:30


    The first major battle in Chinese history

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 16, 2020 9:32


    Descendants of the Yan and Yellow Emperors

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 12, 2020 8:20


    The lady on the moon

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 9, 2020 14:59


    Hou Yi and the Seven Evils

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 5, 2020 12:27


    Hou Yi shooting down suns

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2020 9:54


    The end of fairyland in the sea

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 29, 2020 10:06


    The God of Spring and the God of Autumn

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 26, 2020 10:31


    The god of water with a short fuse

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 22, 2020 8:42


    The Sun Goddess and her ten sons

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 19, 2020 8:14


    The Foolish Old Man

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 15, 2020 9:15


    The giant who chased the sun

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 12, 2020 8:52


    The bird who tried to fill the ocean

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 8, 2020 7:11


    The Invention of the written characters

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 5, 2020 7:57


    The Fashionista Goddess of Silk

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2020 10:24


    Mr. Curious the Botanist

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 28, 2020 10:22


    Mr. Courageous and Fire

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 24, 2020 11:48


    Mr. Handyman the Chinese Baron on the Trees

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 21, 2020 7:20


    Fu Xi and the Eight Diagrams

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2020 8:23


    diagrams fu xi
    Goddess Nv Wa saving her human babies

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 14, 2020 10:16


    Goddess Nv Wa and her human babies

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 10, 2020 9:02


    The giant Pan Gu and the beginning of the world

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 7, 2020 8:35


    Season 2 Trailer

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 3, 2020 0:34


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