00:00Meet the man behind the myths. By day, Xiaobing Wang is a lecturer teaching economics. By
00:11night, he writes books for children. Myths of China is full of tales that shape the country's
00:19culture. Wang says it will show readers that China and the West share many of the same
00:25values.
00:26It reflects human nature, our pursuit for happiness, our pursuit for freedom, for love.
00:33This is common. It's shared among Chinese people and many other people, and many of
00:37those stories reflect that.
00:40The book offers some important lessons. There's the story of Pangu, the mythical creature
00:46who turned chaos into order. His story reminds us that life is all about balance. Then the
00:54tale of Nuwa, who repairs the sky. She saves the planet after a battle between the god
01:01of fire and the god of water. That battle sparks a series of natural disasters, a warning
01:08that nature is fragile.
01:11It's a message that matters today more than ever. But Wang says he's not trying to lecture
01:17young people. Above all, he wants them to find their own truth.
01:23You cannot just tell them, do this, do that. No. The first thing is, you love the story,
01:28you enjoy reading the story, or you enjoy your parents telling the story, and then you
01:33feel your imagination has been broadened.
01:38Myths of China is full of compelling characters. The mischievous monkey king Sun Wukong, the
01:45jade emperor and the queen mother Shi Wangmu, a demon who became a goddess, and Chang'e,
01:52the immortal who discovered that life means little without love. These are ancient stories
01:59still finding new audiences, and Wang is hoping they'll help different cultures to find common
02:05ground.
02:07Michael Merillia, CGTN, Oxford, UK.
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