221-Chinese/Scottish folklore: The Great Beyond
Two stories about death and what comes next, from China and Scotland
194-Mulan: The Warrior
A story of Mulan from the Middle Ages that has never been told on this podcast before!
115-Chinese Folklore: Another Brick in the Wall
The story of Meng Jiangnu and the Great Wall
42-Chinese Folklore (Cinderella): You Only Live Thrice
This week, it's two of the earliest Cinderella stories, one of which is the earliest written version of this type of story, pre-dating European versions by 1000 years. It has evil step-mothers, murderous step-sisters, and helpful cows who will vomit up your work and call you stupid. Trying to grow a beard and keep your five-year-old [...]
4-Mulan: A Likely Hero
The story of Mulan, the woman who took her aging father's place in the army, does not mean what you think it means. The original character is almost completely awesome and very different from many retellings. Unfortunately, the inspiring central message of the story is a modern interpretation of something that was actually very insulting. Also, villain is [...]
2B-Aladdin: A Whole New World of Problems
In the conclusion of the original Aladdin story, there's the meteoric rise of Aladdin, who is definitely not using magic to do any of this. Really. Will people just stop asking him that, already? I mean, so what if he made the most magnificent palace in the world overnight, and that it randomly disappeared. Nothing at all [...]
2A-Aladdin: The Magician’s Nephew
The story of a poor man who finds a being of unlimited power, and not only uses it to put food on the table, but goes a little farther to take over the kingdom and become the richest man alive. It's the original story of Aladdin, but it's very different from the story you know. The jinni [...]