In this fascinating and comprehensive collection of Chinese myths and legends, E. T. C. Werner drew upon material readily available to him as a member of the Chinese government's' Historiographical Bureau in Peking. A former barrister and British consul in Foochow, Werner presents a wealth of information illuminating the ideas and beliefs that governed the daily lives of the Chinese people long before the revolutions of the 20th century. Offering a provocative glimpse into a world dominated by traditional rules of etiquette and inhabited by demons, dragon-gods, and spirits, the volume opens with an troductory chapter on the origins of the Chinese people.