Interviewing Xueting C Ni

Hellooooo!

I recently reviewed the great Chinese Myths - From Cosmology And Folklore To Gods And Monsters by Xueting C Ni a non-fiction book tackling a few thousand years of evolving mythsand giving us insights into aspcts from dragons to divinities. It was a really cool book I can see myself diving back into time after time. I was therefore delighted to have the chance to invite Xueting back to the blog to discuss how this book came about.

How do you like to booktempt Chinese Myths?

Well for a start, I’d point out to readers how much they’ve probably picked up from pop culture or other reading about Greek and Roman gods, Norse gods, and probably even Egyptian gods, but what do they know about Chinese gods? Usually, piquing that curiosity is enough to spark the temptation.

This is actually my second book on China’s mythology, and I’m more likely to get asked which one should I read? Of course, I would love for them to read both. Kuan Yin to Mao is very much a socio-cultural exploration of gods, immortals, deities from China's multiple pantheons and folklore, how their veneration and influence as an icon has developed in reality over the time. This one, Chinese Myths, is far more about the stories, and how this mythos viewed the world, it’s a much more traditional book for those interested in a more holistic view of China’s beliefs and traditions. I’ve had so many fantasy writers, game designers and other world builders who told me they found Kuan Yin a useful resource. So I suppose there's one very good question to help you decide.

When I say “Monkey King”,  what do you think of?

If it’s Dragon Ball or League of Legends? Then you’d find Kuan Yin interesting.

If you think of Journey to the West, or maybe even Monkey Magic, then you’d probably enjoy Chinese Myths.

How do you try to narrow down a few thousands years’ worth of myths?

It’s not easy. I’ve looked through so many books on the subject whilst researching mythology, and I have rarely seen one that doesn’t take a defined angle or perspective, and sort of interprets or ignores other areas to make their point, precisely because it is such a wide topic. There was one benefit to this book, being that the publishers had already covered a lot of European myth cycles, and had a structured wants list, intending for the book to be an introduction to China’s beliefs and mythologies. So starting with cosmology, there was a framework within which the readers could understand the rest of it. We agreed that there should be a section on legends, heroic deities etc, but I appreciated my publishers allowing me to investigate some of the areas that I hadn’t really had an outlet for on other projects, so the Monsters and Ghosts, and Treasures of the Forge were my suggestions. One of the most challenging elements was writing it in an accessible fashion. There are concepts and ways of thinking that are natural to me, growing up in the culture that shaped and was shaped by these ideas, but making sure that someone to whom these were completely alien ‘got it’, was a task. As with all my books, I was going to do my best to make sure the content was solid, conveyed breadth as well as depth, or indications of such, and still be enjoyable to read.

How long did the research take? What was your favourite part of this process?

This book was offered to me on a very tight schedule. The book took about five months to research and write, and about another month to wrangle pictures and captions. Had I not already researched, contemplated and written on the topic beforehand, I don’t think it would have been the same quality. My favourite part of the process is the actual writing. Usually when I write, I like to chew the mulberry leaves, as it were, let it brew and ferment in my system for a while, and I have no idea what texture or hue the cloth will be like, but when it comes out, it will be some kind of Xueting Silk. Here, I felt like I’d already digested some leaves, and I just needed to chew some more and then weave it together to make a different cloth. I loved researching and writing about jian, Chinese swords, and would love to do more on those, especially how they’ve been used in films and video games.

One thing that struck me reading the book was how myths and the figures could change over time? What do you think led to that evolution?

Stories have always been one of the most powerful cultural and literary constructions across nations around the world. I think myths are those stories which really sink into our psyche, more so than other stories, partly because we are told them when we are young, and read about them in picture books. They stay with us, guide us and inspire us. Every generation needs myths but might not take them from the same sources, because every era has different needs, so they tend to reinvent these stories. They might be ancient and connected to the past, but they are constantly evolving. Currently, Chinese mythology is going through a particularly powerful stage of development, mainly because modern history has so deprived creative engagement with mythology until the last couple of decades, so writers, directors, artists, musicians etc in China are really going for it, not just regurgitating old stories, but expressing what these mean to them and reimagining them for their own times. A lot of diaspora writers are also turning out highly imaginative fantasy fiction based on the myths of their heritage, as a way to reconnect with their identity, and those are being picked up by publishers, which is fantastic.

What was your favourite myth from this collection?

That’s always a hard one to answer, as I delight in the sheer dynamism and wildness of Chinese myths. With regards this book, one thing that immediately comes to mind is the wealth of mythological creatures I have been able to write about. Not just the ones from the Classic of Mountains and Seas, China’s oldest mythological bestiary, but the cornerstones of mythical China, such as the Sixiang, or Four Cardinal Creatures, and Ruishou, or Auspicious Beasts, whose developments are fascinatingly connected with social and political history. There was no way I wasn’t going to write about dragons, we all love dragons. But creatures such as the pixiu, and the nine-tailed fox have had such remarkable evolutions that it was very rewarding to be able to bring this to people’s attention.

What else can we look forward to from you in the future and where can we find out more?

Over the past year, I have been curating, translating and editing a collection of contemporary Chinese horror, which should be out next year. I have always loved ghost stories, the supernatural and other horror storytelling, and it’s an absolute pleasure to be able to materialise this love into the first translated English anthology of its kind. I am so looking forward to bringing these fourteen works to the Anglophone world. I am also working on the next non-fiction, which I really hope shapes up - being a subject I have wanted to work on, as well as what publishers are looking for and need my skills to write. It’s a book on the pop culture of Xia narratives, a long term passion of mine, which I am delighting in researching. It’s been very exciting seeing wuxia and xianxia gaining traction in the anglophone world. There is, of course, the ongoing shorter pieces of cultural commentary published on various platforms, and which I also try to publish on a semi-regular basis on my own site. I’m preparing a few events for later in the year, so I would urge people to stay in touch and watch this space. I usually say, follow my Twitter, but as the Blue Bird of Unhappiness takes another potentially fatal nose dive, I’m also posting on Bluesky and Instagram these days, which honestly just feels draining to keep up with.

What great books have you read recently?

I’m having to read quite a bit academically for my postgrad and for research at the moment, but when I do have some time to read for pleasure, I have really been reading Bluebird by Ciel Pierlot (whom I had the pleasure of speaking with on a panel earlier in the year). It’s a highly enjoyable space opera and always nice to be in the shoes of diverse characters for a change. I’m also enjoying Hao Jingfang’s Vagabonds. Aside from interesting philosophical contemplations, I’m  drawn by her very observant portrayal of people and places. I’ve made some time to dive back into some of Jin Yong’s later novels, “Demi-gods and Semi-Devils”, not ones I’ve grown up with, but am nevertheless enjoying immensely for its flowing prose, imaginative concepts and colourful characters.