When I was a kid, there were only two children’s books that I owned which had stories featuring Chinese kids. One was The Five Chinese Brothers, and the other was The Cricket Warrior. I still own copies, decades later. When I look at the Five Chinese Brothers today with a modern lens, it is hugely problematic. Still, it doesn’t make that book any less significant to me. Representation matters, and as a child, I didn’t see the stereotypical art–I saw these clever young men who were outsmarting an unjust ruling.
In doing my research for Ebony Gate, I read Strange Tales From a Chinese Studio by Pu Songling. Some of the tales were strange, some were fantastic, some were both. But I wouldn’t categorize any of them as being children’s fairy tales. Of course, the one classic I had and that my children enjoyed was the Monkey King but we consumed those mainly through television and film.
But now we are living in a golden era where compelling works of literature from China are being translated into English and some are just for children.
I was delighted to learn that Rebecca Moesta recently edited the translations of Tang Tang’s children’s books. My favorite of these so far is the story of Silver and Plum from Silver and Plum and Other Stories (Fairy Tales from Tang Tang).
Silver and Plum (Fairytales from Tang Tang)
Silver and Plum is told from the perspective of an abandoned toy kitten who makes a long journey to reunite with a childhood friend. This story is so sweet, and the themes of independence and loyalty are ones that young children can really appreciate.
I wish these Tang Tang fairytales had been around when I was a child, but I am grateful to have these translated works today so that I can read them to my own kids.
