Tian Wen – A Chinese Book of Origins (Paper) - Softcover

Field, S

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0811210111 ISBN 13: 9780811210119

Publisher: New Directions, 1988

Synopsis

Describes the historical background of the poem and poses questions about Chinese mythology and the nature of the universe

About this title

From the Author:

The TIAN WEN "Heaven Questions" and Chinese Mythology
For those readers who seek an understanding of ancient Chinese myth, there are three books that are crucial to your study. The Tian Wen, or "Heaven Questions," is the most comprehensive catalogue of ancient Chinese mythology and pre-Imperial legend in existence. Written in the 4th century BCE, the original poem was a list of questions by Daoist philosophers of the late Warring States period. My translation, TIAN WEN: A CHINESE BOOK OF ORIGINS, follows the standard Chinese commentaries and answers many of the questions. I have also published another interpretation of the opening verses of the poem--the cosmological sections--in the scholarly journal, EARLY CHINA vol. 17 (1992): 83-110. Another book that will be useful is Yuan Ke's DRAGONS AND DYNASTIES: AN INTRODUCTION TO CHINESE MYTHOLOGY. Professor Yuan is the recognized authority on Chinese myth in China, and this book is a rewriting and paraphrasing of many of the ancient fragments of myth collected from diverse sources, including the Tian Wen. Finally, Anne Birrell's CHINESE MYTHOLOGY: AN INTRODUCTION is the best scholarly study of Chinese myth in English. It has a forward by Prof. Yuan.

About the Author:

Melanie Johnson is a barrister at 1 Pump Court Chambers specialising in Family Law. She conducts seminars in domestic violence remedies and enforcement, and care proceedings. She is a member of the FLBA and has published an article on Domestic Violence and Part IV Family Law Act 1996 in 'The
Review', a journal sponsored by the Solicitors Family Law Association. Elizabeth Lawson QC is a barrister at 1 Pump Court Chambers specialising in Family Law and sits as a Deputy High Court Judge.
Lindsay Adams is a barrister at 1 Pump Court Chambers. She is head of the Crime Group and practises in the areas of criminal and family law. Along with Melanie Johnson she regularly conducts seminars in domestic violence remedies and enforcement, and care proceedings. Lindsay contributed to the Bar
Council and CBA response to the White Paper, Justice for All, which was published in October 2002.
Stephen Field is a barrister at 1 Pump Court Chambers. He specialises in criminal law. John Lamb is a barrister at 1 Pump Court Chambers. He was formerly the Head of the Crime Group at New Court Chambers before moving to 1 Pump Court in April 2003. He is a specialist criminal practitioner with
extensive experience of sexual offences and violence in a domestic context.

About this edition

• Publisher: New Directions
• Publication date: 1988
• ISBN 10: 0811210111
• ISBN 13: 9780811210119
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 148