Chronicles of the Gods

Name: Chronicles of the Gods
ISBN: 9787301285169

严优Peking University Press · ChinaAug 2025

4.0

Word count: 207K words
Chapters: 18
ISBN: 9787301285169

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Summary

For a people, myth is the surviving wisdom of remote antiquity, a collective memory passed down through generations, the bone-marrow stem cells containing the primal genes of all culture, the meta-expression of all expression, the meta-meaning of all meaning, the meta-structure of all structure. To truly understand a people's traditional culture, one must begin at the source—myth. China's ancient myths are a precious spiritual legacy of the Chinese nation, yet because their origins are complex and their transmission tortuous, and because they have been repeatedly cut and grafted, those that have survived by chance are mostly fragmentary and often self-contradictory; moreover, the abstruse and difficult classical Chinese tends to keep the general reader at a distance. With a conscious sense of cultural transmission, the author systematically classifies the scattered ancient myths along near-“genealogical” lines of logic, connecting, threading together, and interpreting the many deities and their related myths so that China's fragmented mythic resources present a clear structure and thread; in a language style closer to present-day social reality and more expansive, the author offers a modern retelling of the classical Chinese myths, making the archaic and obscure vivid, full, and alive; and the author offers a distinctive reading of the notions of “heaven” (nature) and “human” (society) behind the ancient myths, enabling readers to return to the source of Chinese wisdom and tradition and to seek out the collective memory and cultural genes shared by the Chinese people.

Editor's review

The Chronicle of the Gods is a systematic retelling of ancient Chinese myth for the general reader. With a “genealogical” logic of classification, the author Yan You reconnects and threads together the fragmentary and mutually contradictory mythic materials scattered through classical Chinese texts, giving the originally scattered deities and stories a clear structural thread—a real convenience for readers long frustrated that Chinese myth “lacks a system.” The language eschews the archaic in favor of a retelling suited to contemporary reading habits, and on that basis interprets the views of nature and society behind the myths, so that readers go beyond the stories to touch the source of Chinese wisdom and traditional cultural genes. It serves well as an introduction to and overview of Chinese myth, and as a desk reference for enthusiasts of traditional culture. It should be noted that this book is a modern retelling and interpretation of ancient myth, not a strict collation of primary sources; readers seeking textual criticism and evidential research should consult specialized works alongside it.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers who want a systematic understanding of the ancient Chinese mythic genealogy but are hampered by scattered materials
Readers of literature and history interested in the sources of traditional culture and collective memory
Teachers and parents who wish to tell Chinese myths to students or children in accessible language
Readers who enjoy mythic stories and care about the cultural ideas behind them

Not a good fit for

Specialist researchers requiring collation of primary sources and strict textual and evidential scholarship
Readers who prefer a purely academic paper format and do not accept a modern retelling approach
Those expecting a complete collection of mythic stories rather than structural overview and interpretation

Reading tips

First read through the table of contents to grasp the author's mythic genealogical framework, then read in genealogical order for best effect.
When encountering a deity, note down their place in the genealogy and related stories for easy cross-reference.
Slow down for interpretive passages and reflect on them in light of your own understanding of views of nature and society.
After finishing, try retelling a mythic thread in your own words to test your grasp of the overall structure.

About the publisher

Peking University Press China · Founded in 1979

Peking University Press is a comprehensive university press whose publishing areas cover classical literature, popular science, social culture, world history, Western philosophy, and culture. Its catalogue contains 6,031 titles, with representative books including A Dream of Red Mansions, Relativity: The Special and General Theory (15th Edition) (with Einstein's classic papers on unified field theory and other topics), Elements, Conics, The Aristocratic Families of the Eastern Jin, The Philosophy of Mythology (Volume I), The Philosophy of Mythology (Volume II), and The Origin of Continents and Oceans. Representative authors include Cao Xueqin, Zhou Ruchang, Albert Einstein, Euclid, Apollonius, Tian Yuqing, Schelling, and Xian Gang. The press has developed distinctive strengths in classical Chinese literature and in the translation of Western philosophical classics, while also covering scientific classics and social and cultural studies. As public information is limited, this description is based only on the books in the catalogue and offers no further extrapolation.

版权信息
序言
写在前面的话
上篇宛在中央：中原系上古诸神
第一单元混沌与创世
第二单元孤独的大母神
第三单元所谓三皇
第四单元五方上帝
第五单元中原神话最后的大天神
下篇四面光芒：非中原系上古诸神
第六单元西王母与昆仑山
第七单元东方大神
第八单元古巴蜀诸神
第九单元南楚诸神
第十单元诸女神
第十一单元八方大神
主要参考文献
后记

FAQ

Is this book a collation of primary mythic sources or a modern retelling?

The book retells and interprets ancient myths in modern language and classifies scattered mythic materials genealogically; it is an overview for the general reader, not a collated edition of primary sources. To consult the original texts, read it alongside a collated edition of the classics.

Can I understand it without a foundation in classical Chinese?

Yes. The author deliberately adopts a language style closer to present-day social reality and more expansive in retelling the classical Chinese myths, precisely to lower the barrier for general readers, so no deep grounding in classical Chinese is needed to read it smoothly.

Is the mythic genealogy in the book the one definitive account?

Ancient Chinese myths have complex origins and a tortuous transmission, and inherently contain fragments and self-contradictions. The genealogical classification in this book is the author's way of presenting a clear structure; readers should treat it as one framework for understanding, not a settled conclusion.

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About the author

严优 Author

Yan You is a Chinese author about whom limited public information is available. Her work centers on cultural subjects, and two of her books are included in this collection. She is best known for Chronicles of the Gods (Zhushen Ji) and Chronicles of the Immortals: Eight Essays on Chinese Fairy Tales (Zhuxian Ji: Zhongguo Xianhua Bayi), both of which explore Chinese mythology and tales of immortals. Judging from their titles and subject matter, her writing tends to organize and interpret ancient Chinese pantheons and immortal legends, combining the qualities of cultural essays with research notes and seeking to connect traditional texts with general readers. This choice of subject places her work in the cultural reading category, suitable for those interested in Chinese mythology, immortal lore, and folk beliefs. Beyond these works, no reliable public record of her life, education, or positions is available, so no conjecture is offered here.