CHAPTER I.

INTRODUCTORY.

Attention of Late Bestowed on the Study of Folk-lore—China Presents a most Interesting Field of Enquiry—Little as yet Done to bring together what is Known upon the Subject—Similarity between Chinese and Western Beliefs—Our Own Recent Emancipation from Superstition—The Myth-making Faculty Common to all Mankind—Previous Allusions to Chinese Folk-lore—Arrangements of Subjects—Chinese Folk-lore Extensive—Probable Derivation from the Cradle of the Aryan Races—Importance of Popular Beliefs in Chinese Estimation,        pp. 1–8.

CHAPTER II.

BIRTH, MARRIAGE, AND DEATH.

Superstitions as to Day and Hour of Birth—Practices to Ascertain Sex of Expected Child—Frightening Away Demons—Three Children at a Birth—Binding the Wrists—Cutting the Cord of the Feet—Rocking an Empty Cradle—Ceremonies after Birth—Worshipping the Measures—Superstitions as to Marriages—Wedding Rings—Betrothal Ceremonies—Using the Sieve—Rubbing the Bride’s Feet—The Marriage Veil—Worshipping Heaven and Earth—Shears, Honey &c.—Bridal Candles—Lucky Numbers at Weddings—Bride Cake or Bread—Touching the Threshold—Shoes—Sitting on the Dress—Death—Purchase of Coffins beforehand—Burial Clothes—“Saining” a Corpse—Cash from the Corpse’s Sleeve—Reversing the Body—Opening the Roof—White and Black Cocks—Watching Spirits—Watching the Dead—Clothes, Arms, Food, &c., for the Dead—Offerings after Death—Throwing Earth upon the Coffin—A Lucky Place for a Grave—White the Mourning Colour—Aversion to Disturbing a Grave,        pp. 8–27.

CHAPTER III.

DAYS AND SEASONS.

Lucky and Unlucky Days—The Chinese Sabbath—Persian Derivation—Congratulating the Moon—Unlucky Days in Each Month—Tabular Arrangement of Ditto—New Year’s Day—The “First Foot”—St. Swithun’s Day in China—An Obscured Moon,        pp. 27–32. [II]

CHAPTER IV.

PORTENTS OR OMENS, AUGURIES, LUCKY NUMBERS, AND DREAMS.

Upsetting the Oil Jar—Crows, Magpies and Ducks—Dogs and Cats—Crowing Hens—Swallows—Owls—Setting an Even Number of Eggs—Superstitions as to Mirrors—Crooked Paths—Eclipses, Comets, and Stars—Bells—Drawing Water at Certain Hours on a given Date—Omens of Personal Sensation, Itching, Shivering, Sneezing &c.—A Shaky Finger—Trousers—Sitting in a Warm Chair—Meeting a Funeral or Coffin—People with Joined Eyebrows—Itching of the Palm and Specks on the Nails—The First Words heard after making a Resolution—Casting Lots—Lucky Numbers, 3, 5, and 7—Numerical Categories—Even Numbers, Lucky—Chinese beliefs as to Dreams—Comparison of Chinese and Japanese Superstitions as to Dreams,        pp. 33–45.

CHAPTER V.

CHARMS, SPELLS, AMULETS, AND DIVINATIONS.

Attempted Cure of Diseases by Charms and Incantations—Magic Mirrors—Fire-Crackers as Charms—Exorcising the Spirit of an Executed Criminal—Firing Cannon at the Pei-ho—Shooting Arrows at a Tidal Wave—Iron Plates Sunk as Charms—Anti-Demoniacal Powers of Certain Woods—The Bamboo, Peach, Willow and Plum—Charms Affixed to Buildings—Coffin Nails—Cats in Clay as Charms—Stone Lions—Coins under Door Sills—Cash Swords—Triangles—The “Evil Eye”—The Swastika or Thor’s Hammer—The Eight Diagrams—Arrows on the Roof—Stone Slabs—Red Cloth—Murderer’s Knives, the Classics and Fishing Nets &c.—Drawings of Reptiles or Animals—Taking a Hair of the Dog that Bit You—Lustrations by Spittle—Characts or Written Charms—Red and Yellow, Lucky Colours—Ashes of Burnt Paper Charms taken in Tea, &c.—Amulets—Lucky Cash—Lock and Hook Amulets—Bells as Amulets—Divinations—Divining Sticks—Spirit Rapping—Somnambules or Media—Form of Incantation—Divination by Willow-wood Images—Mesmerism—Chinese Sortes Virgilianæ—Divination by Paper Slips—Trained Birds—Chiromancy or Palmistry—Physiognomy—Divination by Leaves,        pp. 45–63.

CHAPTER VI.

SUPERSTITIONS AS TO VARIOUS SUBJECTS.

The Hare and Its Attributes—Discovery of Drowned Bodies—Casting Salt into the Water—The last Piece left upon a Plate—Fêng-shui—Value of Human Blood and Flesh as Medicinal Aids—Chinese Cannibalism and its Reason—Blood Bread Sold at Peking after Executions—Blood of Unborn Infants—Restorative Properties of Human Flesh—Ancient Rain Stones—Gymnastics; Curious Belief as to Effects of Practising Them—Bridges and the Beliefs Concerning Them—Curing Swellings—How to Prevent Water from Boiling over and Eggs from Cracking—Cinnebar and Vermilion as Antidotes to Sickness—Superstitions as to the Female Principle and Silkworms—Signs by Corpses if Dissatisfied,        pp. 64–71. [III]

CHAPTER VII.

GHOSTS, APPARITIONS, AND SUPERNATURAL BEINGS.

Prominent Part played by Ghosts on the Chinese Stage—The False Ghost at Chinkeang—Chinese Terms for Ghosts; Their Shapeless Form—Candles Burning Green in the Presence of Ghosts—Apparition at Shanghai—The Ghost from the S. S. Fusing—The Foochow Gun-boat Ghost—Ghosts of Suicides and of Women who Die in Child-bed—Ghosts of Murdered People—Haunted Houses—Sanding Floors to Detect Ghostly Visitants—Intelligence of Ghosts—Pauper Ghosts—The Shen of Offence—The Ghost in a Chinese Farce—Idol Ghosts—Ghosts Permitted to Revisit the Earth—Charms against Malevolent Ghosts—Animal Ghosts,        pp. 71–79.

CHAPTER VIII.

WITCHCRAFT AND DEMONOLOGY.

Antiquity of Witchcraft in China—Witches not Persecuted in China—Summoning Genii—Chinese Ideas of Genii—Taoistic and Confucian Opinions respecting them—Celebrated Genii—Isles of the Genii—Clay Images of Persons whom it is desired to Injure—Paper and Feathers as used by Wizards—The Mao-shan and Shan-ching-kwei—Demon Monsters—Taoistic Chiefs of the Genii—People possessed by Spirits—“Devil Dancers”—Reputed Powers of Christian Converts as Exorcists—Charm against Witches—Cats and Witchcraft—Hares, &c.—Tigers—Carp, &c.—Dragons—Foxes and Demonology—Curious Fox Stories—Fox Myths amongst the American Indians and Japanese—Stones possessed by Spirits,        pp. 79–96.

CHAPTER IX.

ELVES, FAIRIES, AND BROWNIES.

Chinese Ideas regarding Fairies—Fairy Haunts—Storm Fiends—Rip van Winkle Legends and Fairies—The Fairy Home—Brownies—The Shan-sao—Stealing the Fairy Dress—Fairy Flies and Bees—Chinese Kelpies—The Goddess of the Palace of the Moon—Fairy Tales—The word Shen and its meanings,        pp. 97–102.

CHAPTER X.

SERPENTS, DRAGONS, FABULOUS ANIMALS, AND MONSTERS.

The Serpent and Universal Legend—Healing Qualities of Serpents’ Flesh—Human Beings assuming Serpent form—British Parallels—The Fuhkien Snake Story—Serpent Worship and its Temples—Serpents as River Gods—Precious Stones in the Heads of Serpents—The Snake and the Butcher’s Block—Dragons and their Serpent Origin—Serpent Worship in India and China—Five-Clawed Dragons—British Dragons—Chinese Description of the Dragon—River Dragons—Domestic Dragon Worship—Ah Tseung and the Bob-tailed Dragon—Chinese Version of St. George and the Dragon—The Phœnix and Unicorn—The Blood-yielding Baboon—Sea Serpents and Strange Fish—Mermaids and their Original Home—Popular Beliefs respecting the Straits of Hainan,        pp. 102–115. [IV]

CHAPTER XI.

SUPERSTITIONS REGARDING THE POWERS OF NATURE.

The Sun, Moon and Stars, and Beliefs regarding them—The Lunar Goddess, Frog, Toad, Hare, &c.—Planetary Influences—Cosmical Phenomena and Native Records—The “Old Man of the Moon”—The Goddess of the Moon—The Lunar Hare and its Legend—The Moon and Tides—The Sun and Chinese Beliefs regarding it—Stars and Planets, Chinese Legends respecting them—The Mirage—Meteors and their Portentous Attributes—Thunder and Lightning—The God of Fire—A Peking Legend—“Fire Pigeons”—Mountains and their Presiding Divinities—Legends respecting the Formation of Islands—The Rain God and his Misdeeds—A would-be “Rain-priest”—Superstitions as to Tides—Earthquakes—Natural Hairs—Blood from the Sky—The Legend of Lake Man—Emission of the Chiao—Blood from the Earth—Dragons and Waterspouts—Human Beings Transformed into Stone—A Fall of Chinese Manna,        pp. 115–128.

CHAPTER XII.

LEGENDS OF LOCALITY, HOUSEHOLD TALES, &c.

Numerous Legends current amongst the Chinese—The Yangtsze and Yellow River—The Entrance to Purgatory—The Demons of Teng-chow—Imprisoned Genii—The Golden Cup of Hercules and Pei-tu—The Valley of the White Deer—Spirits of the Gorges—Transformed Dogs—The Source of the Hwang Ho—Mountain of the Genii—The Legend of the Bell—Pro patriâ mori—A Chinese Ali Baba—The Loadstone—Magic Tombs—Good Deeds Rewarded—Words Engraved upon the Heart—Punch and Judy Shows and their Origin—Legendary Origin of Tea—Origin of the Cocoa-nut—Mercury and the Philosopher’s Stone—The Judgment of Solomon—Magic Bread—The Swan Maidens and a Lewchewan Legend—Use of Household Tales and Legends for Comparative Purposes—Chinese Story Radicals,        pp. 129–145.

CHAPTER XIII.

FABLES AND PROVERBIAL LORE.

Chinese Fables numerous—Absence of Native Collections of Fables—Indo-Chinese Fables—Mr. Thom, and his Translation of Æsop—The Earliest Chinese Fable—Comparative Antiquity of the Fable in China and Greece—The Cat and the Mice—Offering a White Pig—Men and Snakes—The Ass and the Oxen—The Tiger and the Monkey, Ass, Fox, &c.—The Geese and the Tortoise—The Brother’s Boots—The Crows and the Owls—The King and the Mill Horses—Borrowing Trouble—The Blind Man and the Lame Man—The Folly of Avarice—Proverbs, their Extensive Use in China—Writings of Messrs. Lister and Scarborough—A Comparison of well-known Chinese and English Proverbs—The Chinese word for “Heaven”—Conclusion,        pp. 146–156.