Let's be clear: Myths and Legends of China is not a novel. There's no single plot. Instead, think of it as a grand tour through a cosmic attic, guided by E. T. C. Werner, a British diplomat who lived in China for decades. He collected and organized these stories in the early 1900s.

The Story

The book is structured like a reference guide. It starts with the creation of the universe from chaos and introduces the major deities like the Jade Emperor. Then, it walks you through different categories: nature myths about suns and floods, legends of famous heroes and rebels, stories about the afterlife and restless ghosts, and finally, the popular tales of the Eight Immortals or the Monkey King's mischief. It's a huge, sprawling collection that tries to map the entire spiritual landscape of traditional China.

Why You Should Read It

What makes this book special is its sheer scope and its age. Reading it feels like time travel. You get the myths, but you also get Werner's early-20th-century perspective, which is fascinating in itself. The stories are raw, strange, and often surprisingly dark. They show a world where gods can be bribed, ghosts demand justice, and heroes achieve immortality through sheer stubbornness. It's the foundation for so much modern culture, from movies to festivals, and seeing it laid out like this is eye-opening.

Final Verdict

This is the perfect book for a curious reader who loves world mythology and doesn't mind an old-fashioned style. It's for anyone who plays a game like Jade Empire, watches Monkey King adaptations, or visits a Chinese temple and wants to know the deeper stories behind the icons. Don't read it cover-to-cover in one go. Keep it on your shelf, dip into a chapter now and then, and let yourself get lost in a completely different way of seeing the world.