There are hundreds upon thousands of Chinese folktales. These folktales have survived thousands of years throughout Chinese history mainly through the oral tradition.
The merits of these folktales lie not so much in their literary worth, as in the common folk wisdom they convey. Often, they are short, have a simple plot, and can be told in just a few minutes. And often in the story, there is a blur between history and mythology. Today, many of these folktales have survived as a short proverb, widely used and understood in the Chinese language.
The common characters in these folktales could be: a magistrate, a king, a patriot, a wise man, a foolish man, a soldier, a young scholar, a maiden, a good son, or a hardworking servant. Some of these stories involve deities, while some involve only mortals or commoners.
The significance of these folktales is the display of Chinese values. Some of these common themes are: the triumph of justice over injustice; the supremacy of wisdom over sheer physical strength; examples of cleverness or resourcefulness; examples of filial piety or examples of moderation--to mention just a few. These are all important Chinese values which are passed from one generation to the next through the telling of folktales.
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Special thanks to Metropolitan Toronto's Multicultural Grants Program for their support.