From Guan Yin to Xuanzang - a road trip through Chinese myth and history by Maisie Chan

I’m Maisie Chan, the author of award-winning Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths. I’m going to chat with you today about a couple of books - Keep Dancing, Lizzie Chu and Bedtime Stories: Amazing Asian Tales from the Past and how they feature some famous Chinese mythical and historical figures.

I’m known for humorous family tales set in the UK that feature British Chinese characters. Keep Dancing, Lizzie Chu is about a girl who looks after her grandfather who is acting strange. He tells her stories about his favourite goddess Guan Yin (also spelt Kwan Yin, Kuan Yin and Gwan Yin). She is a Chinese deity that people in East and Southeast Asia still pray to.

She is the goddess of compassion and mercy. She features in many stories, sometimes they are fantastical and often they have a moral tale. In my novel, I retold four Chinese stories that feature Guan Yin. One of the stories that Guan Yin appears in is The Journey to The West – it is the most famous Chinese novel written by Wu Cheng’en; published in the 16th Century. It’s about a monk called Tripitaka (which is his Buddhist name) who is given a set of misfit companions by Guan Yin. They’re his protectors as the journey is full of demons and obstacles. His most famous companion is the mischievous Monkey King.

By coincidence, Scholastic asked me if I wanted to write a story for Bedtime Stories: Amazing Asian Tales from the Past. They had a list of historical figures - I chose Xuanzang. He travelled from China to India because he wanted to translate and return to China with updated Buddhist scriptures. This is the real life person that Wu Cheng’en was inspired by when he began writing The Journey to the West!

Xuanzang became a Buddhist monk before he was an adult. He followed in his brother’s footsteps. His life up to his teenage years were not easy. His parents had passed away, his country was experiencing civil war and he and his brother had to find refuge in a new city. When reading the Buddhist scriptures Xuanzang found they were incomplete or did not always make sense because of the poor translation. He decided that he wanted to go to India himself, learn Sanskrit and go on an adventure.

However, Emperor Taizong forbade him from leaving. Xuanzang made the decision to sneak out because he felt it was his destiny. It was a big risk for him to go without the proper travel passes. He travelled the Silk Road with merchants. But he encountered quite a few obstacles. He was abandoned by the merchants, had to cross tough terrain and in one town, a King wanted to keep him there FOREVER. But Xuanzang had a mission, he needed to make it to India. He persuaded the king to let him go. After more treacherous travel he finally made it.

He did what he set out to do, he learned Sanskrit. And in AD 645 decided to head back to China with newly translated Buddhist scriptures. His writings were the foundation of Buddhism in China where it is one of the most popular religions.

When I wrote Keep Dancing, Lizzie Chu I was thinking about her road trip as an inner journey as well as an external one of getting to Blackpool to have some fun. I wondered how she and her friends would be changed by that trip? And who or what might stand in her way. I think of road trips in stories as a great way for the main characters to learn something about themselves, other people, and the world around them.

Writing exercise:
Think of a historical figure. Write a contemporary story about a road trip with this person and you, or a character you make up. Where would you take them? Who would you meet on the way? What would happen once you got there?

Maisie Chan is a children's author whose debut novel DANNY CHUNG DOES NOT DO MATHS won the Jhalak Prize and the Branford Boase Award in 2022. It was also shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Awards and Diverse Book Awards 2022.

Her latest novel KEEP DANCING, LIZZIE CHU is out now with Piccadilly Press. She also writes the series TIGER WARRIOR for younger readers. She has written early readers for Hachette and Big Cat Collins, and has a collection of myths and legends out with Scholastic. She runs the Bubble Tea Writers Network to support and encourage writers of East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) descent in the U.K. She has a dog called Miko who has big eyes. She lives in Glasgow with her family.

You can buy Maisie's books here.

Magical animals in stories - by Jeannie Waudby

  It’s Lunar New Year, and this February the year of the Tiger begins. 

 

So I’m going to look at some of the ways in which animals can embody our best and most exciting human qualities.

I grew up in Hong Kong, where Chinese New Year was very exciting. We lived on a tiny island and we would visit everybody, dressed in our best clothes. The lion dance called at every house, with cymbals and drums and the dancers capturing the playfulness of the friendly lion. Here's one from my local Chinese supermarket.

Each house had a beautiful table with peach blossom, little orange trees and treats spread out. As children, adults gave us lucky money red packets and lots of sweets. Here are a few things that I remember from my childhood and can still find in London.

Lucky money packet in the middle, for adults to give to children or younger people

Every year, beginning in either January or February, has an animal. There are 12 altogether and each animal represents human characteristics. They all have very positive qualities, even the ones that sometimes get a negative press. Here they are in left-to-right, top-to-bottom order. As you can see, they are all real animals except for the dragon, which here is a benevolent and positive creature.

 

Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig

Stories, myths and legends have always featured animals that embody human qualities, for example Monkey and Pigsy in the Chinese 16^th century novel Journey to the West, attributed to Wu Cheng’en. It’s a much-loved story throughout the world. 

 

Tripitaka, Pigsy, Sandy and Sun Wukong, the Monkey king

And in ancient Greece, Aesop’s fables used animals to reveal truths about people. This one shows the town mouse and the country mouse. 

 

Aesop's Fables adapted by Louis Untermeyer illustrated by A and M Provensen

Of course animals have always featured large in fantasy novels, but they find their way into historical fiction too. Often an animal may be semi-magical or act as a messenger or guide. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett was published in 1911 and set at the turn of the 20^thcentury. She wrote two books about girls who had had to leave their home in India and while they have also lost family, part of the story is the loss of India and the coldness of England in comparison. The Secret Garden is a realistic story about two abandoned children, but there is a robin who leads Mary into a walled garden. 

 

Cover illustration for A Little Princess by George Smith, and for The Secret Garden by Angelo Rinaldi

In A Little Princess, the lonely and ill-treated Sarah is befriended by a neighbour from India who sends his pet monkey across the roof to make contact. In both these stories, the animals act as a reminder that in spite of loss there are new friends and homes to be found. And crucially, it’s the animals who bring people together.

The Crowfield novels by Pat Walsh are set in a monastery in 14^th century England. 

 

Covers by Steve Wells

The abbey and woods around it are also home to hobs, a magical but very believable furry animal with a long tail. Brother Walter, the hob, makes friends with William and although Will rescues him, his friendship and otherworldly knowledge gives Will the courage he needs.

The Little White Horse is set in Victorian England, when Maria moves to a beautiful but troubled valley.

Cover by Debra McFarlane

In this story, there are very real animals like Maria’s little dog, but also the elusive ‘horse’ of the title – who, with a shaggy dog, is vital in restoring balance to the valley.

In these stories, the animals embody particular qualities: hope in The Secret Garden, courage in The Crowfield Curse and reconciliation in The Little White Horse. Through their presence, the protagonist can grow into the best version of themselves and be able to make the changes they need. To some extent, their animal companion allows them to be fully human.

Writing challenge

Choose an animal. It can be a real one or a magical one or one of the 12 animals of Chinese New Year. It might be very large or tiny, able to swim or fly or run at lightning speed. Can this animal talk? What gifts could this animal bring to help someone in a tricky situation? Imagine your animal as a sidekick to the main character of a story – how would the animal rescue them, or cheer them up or make them laugh? What would bring the human character and their animal companion together in the first place?

One Of Us by Jeannie Waudby is a YA thriller/love story, published by Chicken House. It was shortlisted for the Bolton Children's Fiction Award and the Lancashire Book of the Year 2016 and has been adapted by Mike Kenny as a play in the Oxford Playscripts series.
One Of Us is published by Chicken House
The Oxford Playscripts play is published by Oxford University Press