Oral Traditions in Contemporary China

This meticulous monograph by Zhang surveys ancient, modern, and contemporary Chinese oral genres, including stories (especially “fairy tales”), proverbs, ballads, and musical forms…. His historical narrative, supplemented with a few case studies of tales and proverbs, provides a historically grounded sociology of knowledge for the fields of Chinese modern folklore collection, taxonomy, and translation into other languages…. Recommended. Faculty and professionals.

* Choice Reviews *

This book makes a very powerful statement about the engagement of Chinese scholars on the level of theory production in an arena where the assumption remains that the native participants were relegated to data gathering. The operative idea is that oral tradition plays an important role in ‘cultural self-healing’ in the Chinese context—an idea that will resonate globally and is especially relevant today.

Juwen Zhang combines elements of Western theory with perspectives emerging from Chinese folklore studies of the last 100 years, testing the disciplinary boundaries of oral tradition studies by examining the process of practice and transmission in the tradition. With well-documented and excellent use of sources, this book is accessible to students and scholars both familiar and unfamiliar with the Chinese tradition. Oral Traditions in Contemporary China: Healing a Nation will be a welcome addition to the growing body of scholarship that mixes Western and non-Western perspectives on Chinese/East Asian folklore and vernacular culture.

-- Mark Bender, Ohio State University

A unique synthesis of profound historical and cultural knowledge of Chinese folklore and its Chinese folkloristic studies with contemporary theories and methods of international folklore scholarship.

-- Dan Ben-Amos, University of Pennsylv