MYTHS OF ANCIENT CHINA. MYTHICAL VIEWS AND MYTHS OF THE CHINESE BML

The book of Sergei Mikhailovich Georgievsky, an outstanding Russian sinologist of the 19th century, professor of Chinese literature at the Oriental Faculty of St. Petersburg University, is a kind of encyclopedia that tells about the mythological views of ancient China. Decorated with over 200 color illustrations from the 17th to 19th centuries, the edition also includes two additional books: Twenty-Four Examples of Filial Piety and Twenty Most Famous Chinese Emperors.

The hidden basis of the culture of any country is its myths. They capture the spirit of the people, their worldview, the foundations of ethics and morality. For example, in Russia a huge role in the education of each younger generation is played by epics, in which powerful and courageous heroes act - the defenders of their homeland. In China, whose history spans more than one thousand years, such a cultural layer is especially deep. In terms of volume and thoroughness of study, Chinese mythology is comparable to ancient Greek, however, compared with the gods and heroes of Ancient Greece, the mythological characters of Ancient China are known to us to a lesser extent. This gap in knowledge is filled by this book, because it is a kind of encyclopedia of Chinese mythology. Not so long ago, it remained an area little studied for Europeans.

In Russia, one of the first scientists who began to discover the wonderful world of Chinese mythology for his compatriots was an outstanding expert on this country, Sergei Mikhailovich Georgievsky. He was born in 1851 in Kostroma in the family of a priest, from childhood he showed a talent for learning and received two higher educations. First, he studied at Moscow University at the Faculty of History and Philology, and then became a student at the Oriental Faculty of St. Petersburg University. Georgievsky was attracted by the East. The young scientist traveled extensively in Japan and China, studying the peculiarities of the worldview of the inhabitants of these countries. As a result, Georgievsky became the author of major works: "Principles of Life in China" and "Mythical Views and Myths of the Chinese." There were other works, including those devoted to the history of ancient China. All of them were highly appreciated by the scientific community, and as a result, Georgievsky received a doctorate in Chinese literature, and then became a professor at the Oriental Faculty of St. Petersburg University. His works have not lost their significance even today. They make it possible to better understand the soul of the Chinese people, their mentality, and Georgievsky perspicaciously pointed out the urgent need for Russia to study it back then, in the last third of the 19th century.

This edition has several unique features. It is decorated with over 200 magnificent color illustrations; these works by Chinese artists of the 14th-19th centuries help the reader visually perceive ancient Chinese mythology. For example, you can see how the "door god", "Longma dragon horse" or the Jade Emperor looked from the Chinese point of view. Inside the respective chapters, two classical illustrated Chinese books are placed in their entirety within the book: "Twenty-Four Examples of Filial Piety" and "Twenty Most Famous Chinese Emperors".