Chinese and Japanese Similar Fiction Stories

Chinese and Japanese Similar Fiction Stories

Depending on a person's taste, fiction stories are quite interesting to read. They are filled with such imagination and creative people, objects, and settings. In most cultures, an author of a fiction story will reflect things about their own society. Therefore by looking at two fiction stories from different cultures, it is possible to compare not only the stories, itself, but the cultural background of both societies which they are from. During the Taiping Era of China, fiction short stories became popular and a part of the Chinese literature. "The Li's Youngest Daughter", a short story from this Era is very similar to a Japanese folk tale called "Issunboshi (One Inch Boy)". Both the Japanese and Chinese stories share a similar theme and moral, as well as reflect the similarities between the two societies and cultures.

The story of "The Li's Youngest Daughter" starts off in the lowlands by Mount Yong where a huge python lived. The python likes to feed on twelve-year-old virgin girls the most. Without any other choice, the authorities of the town have to find girls to sacrifice every eighth lunar month. After a total of nine girls have been sacrificed, the authorities have a problem and can't find another girl. In Jiangle Country, a girl named Ji, who is the youngest of six daughters of the Li family, hears about this problem and suggests to her parents that she sell herself to be sacrificed. She figures that there is no sense in keeping her since daughters marry into other families and don't carry on the family name. After much argument, her parents finally let her have her way. She asks authorities for a sword, snake hound, honey, rice and wheat flour. With the food items, she makes a huge sticky rice ball. When the day comes to go to the python's cave, she puts the rice ball right outside of the cave and waits in the temple with her sword and hound. When the python comes out for the rice ball, the hound goes out and attacks, while she comes out from behind and kills the python with the sword. She goes into the cave and collects the nine girls' skeletons, then returns to her village. The King of Yue hears of her story and rewards her and her family. She becomes Queen, her father becomes magistrate of Jiangle Country and her mother and sisters are given many gifts.

In the old Japanese children story of "Issunboshi", there is man and his wife who keep praying to have a child. They finally do, however when their little baby boy is born, he is no bigger than their little finger. They name him Saemon, but everyone calls him Issunboshi. As he grows older, he doesn't grow at all, but he is very brave, courteous and helpful. Then when he is fifteen years old, he finally tells his parents that he feels he is not meant for life on a farm and asks them if he can venture off into the city. His parents agree and he goes off. He rides to the city in a rice bowl as his boat, a chopstick as his paddle, and a needle for a sword. When he reaches the city, he sees a cart being pulled by an ox and can tell it belongs to a wealthy man. So he follows it into the gates of Sanjo no Daijin. Inside, he sees Sanjo listening to his daughter singing. He goes up to talk to him and after a while, Sanjo finally notices little Issunboshi. He asks Sanjo if he can work for him, but Sanjo isn't too sure about this because his house is quite big. But his daughter asks for Issunboshi as a companion and that settles everything. Issunboshi becomes the girl's servant as well as close friend.

One day, while they are walking back from the temple, a huge oni (ogre/monster) jumps out and grabs the girl. Issunboshi quickly begins to crawl up the oni's hand. The oni notices the little escort and flies him into his mouth. Quickly, Issunboshi takes out his sword and begins to poke and hit anything in the oni's throat. The oni spits him out right away. Then Issunboshi climbs up to the oni's face and pokes him right in the eyeball. The oni drops the girl and runs away. The girl notices that the oni dropped his magic wishing mallet. The girl quickly picks it up and knows exactly what to wish for. She shakes the mallet and Issunboshi begins to grow to a normal sized person. They returned home together to Sanjo no Daijin, where Sanjo is happy to see a full sized Issunboshi. Sanjo lets Issunboshi bring his parents to the capital, where he and Sanjo's daughter are married.

Both of these stories have a similar theme, where the person who seems to be unable to do anything, yet ends up being the hero and bravest of all. In "Issunboshi", he is so small, and no one thinks he can really be of any service, yet he fights off the oni and saves the girl. In "The Li's Youngest Daughter", Ji is just expected to be sacrificed to the python, since that is what