Or anyone else with an interest in Chinese folklore etc? My wife is asking about traditional Chinese folk stories/legends/sagas etc - any recommendations for well translated collections or other reading material?
Mrs says the story of the animals racing for the zodiac. Most consise expansion I could get!
The 8 immortals. Is number 2
No. 2 is egg fried rice according to what I'm reading.
There seem to be a load of legends of which I have seen the movie adaptations...
edited - wasn't funny
The Mrs said that The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl is a classic story, no idea about good translations though sorry.
Have you ever seen Monkey?
Born from an egg on a mountain top.
Journey to the West is pretty good. I ching is boring. Didn't get very far through The Art of War.
Wikipedia is probly a better source of info.
The Moss Roberts translation of Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a cornerstone of Chinese literature and an absolutely brilliant read with copious historical footnotes. There is a free Kindle version available but it reads like an academic textbook and I'd avoid it. The book covers the 30 years of civil war that followed the death of the last Han emperor in the 2nd Century. Plotting, intrigue and double dealing make it an absorbing read.
The most expensive Chinese film ever made is Red Cliff which covers the most decisive battle of the period (the Battle of the Red Cliffs) and, even at 4 hours of Chinese language with subtitles is a great film.
I believe the the three Great Novels of Chinese literature are the Romance, Water Margin: Outlaws of the Marsh (reading and enjoying) and Monkey:Journey Into The West (next to read). I can't recommend Monkey (never read it) but can highly recommend Romance and the Water Margin