The Myth Of "a Chinese Bestiary" And Qu Fu

Mythology is not only one of the resources of literature and art, but also an integrated expression of the original culture."A Chinese Bestiary"is the first remarkable book which recorded passages and original thought of myth. It is a book which preserved plenty of ancient myths so excellent as "Songs of Chu" which represented by Qu Fu."Songs of Chu"took Qu Yuan's works as its main body, so Qu Fu should be put forword while studing"Songs of Chu". Myths links the two books together although they have respective natures. In this paper,"A Chinese Bestiary"and Qu Fu are studied in the context of Myths. This paper is divided into three parts. The first part discusses the myths value of"A Chinese Bestiary"and Qu Fu for they are the most abundant materials in the preservation of the existing ancient books ,"A Chinese Bestiary"and"Songs of Chu"marked great significances on the research of ancient myths, and explored in-depth to the myths research. The myths in Qu Fu got a certain development with much writer's personal feelings in addition compared with"A Chinese Bestiary". However, such changes should be the performance of the progress of human civilization. The second part focuses on the impact of original Wu Feng and myth on"A Chinese Bestiary"and Qu Fu. Kunlun myths is a major system in ancient Chinese myths. Its impact on"A Chinese Bestiary"and"Songs of Chu"represented by Qu Fu profoundly developed to a kind of complex—Kunlun complex—in the two books. Furthermore,"A Chinese Bestiary"and Qu Fu both transitive and developed under the context of the original religion--wufeng, some concepts and feathers of ancient Chinese religion can be reflected by many myths in the two books, especially,"A Chinese Bestiary"and Qu Fu, both constituent their own sacred space - Paradise. The paradise in"A Chinese Bestiary"is immortality and eternal, while the paradise in Qu Fu rises to a higher degree that is the spirite paradise beyond the life and death and the sustenance of poet's political ideals. From the first and the second part, it is clearly that there are many common senses between"A Chinese Bestiary"and Qu Fu on the myth materials. This phenomenon can more or less the same be explained as the two areas are the products of the same culture, and exist in close time. For they are based on the prevailing local myths and legends, therefore substantially at the same level of details and different choices. This phenomenon is by no means accidental that"A Chinese Bestiary"and Qu Fu are shared a certain common cultural atmosphere.The third part of this paper focuses on the research of the origion of their cultural identity and analyzes the relationship between the two books and the culture of North Central Plains .