Xiwangmu Myth
01 · Historical Records
A relatively clear lineage of transmission can be traced back to the late Qing, mainly the Tianchi Daoists and their descendants.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The Xiwangmu myth is a body of myths and legends about the Queen Mother of the West; taking the mythological content of the age of the Classic of Mountains and Seas as its source and, as its main body, the myth and legend of King Mu of Zhou's western tour to the Jade Pool to meet the Queen Mother of the West, and at the same time blending in historical and local-feature legends of the Tianshan Tianchi, it is a form of folk literature current mainly in Fukang city of the Changji Hui autonomous prefecture, Xinjiang, forming a circle of Xiwangmu myth and legend centred on the Tianchi of Fukang city and radiating to Jimsar, Qitai, Mori and Barkol counties to east and west. The Xiwangmu myth is the crystallization of the collective wisdom of the peoples of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region tempered through history; it has a broad popular character, is handed down in Fukang and elsewhere from generation to generation, and many people of Fukang can tell it.
King Mu of Zhou's Western Tour to the Jade Pool to Meet the Queen Mother of the West
The series of stories of King Mu's western tour, the main body of the Xiwangmu myth, expressing the wish of “harmoniously governing the various Xia”.
The Queen Mother Cultivates the Dao and Subdues Demons at the Tianchi
The miracles of the Queen Mother cultivating the Dao at the Tianchi, slaying demons and monsters and benefiting the district.
The Queen Mother and the Seven Fairy Maidens (the Greater and Lesser Tianchi)
Imaginings of immortal life connected with the Tianchi.
The Tianchi Sacrifices and Temple Fair to the Queen Mother of the West
The sacrificial and temple-fair folk customs formed around the Xiwangmu cult in the Fukang Tianchi area.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The texts accumulated through the ages for the Xiwangmu myth number more than two hundred pieces and are widely current among the folk; their content may be divided into four categories. First, the myth and legend of King Mu of Zhou's western tour to the Jade Pool to meet the Queen Mother of the West, telling mainly the series of stories of King Mu's western tour and his meeting with the Queen Mother at the Jade Pool, expressing the beautiful wish of “harmoniously governing the various Xia”—a very distinctive part of the Xiwangmu myth, embodying the exchange and collision of Central Plains culture and Western Regions culture. Second, the myth and legend of the Queen Mother cultivating the Dao at the Tianchi and subduing demons, telling mainly of her miracles in cultivating the Dao, slaying demons and monsters, and benefiting the district. Third, the myth and legend of the Queen Mother and the Seven Fairy Maidens, mostly connected with the Tianchi (the greater and lesser Tianchi), expressing the folk's beautiful imagining of the immortal life of the Queen Mother and the Seven Fairy Maidens. Fourth, other myths and legends connected with the Queen Mother of the West, which often have both sacred and secular descriptions, such as Lü Dongbin Thrice Teases the Queen Mother of the West.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The Xiwangmu myth is transmitted mainly collectively, with both collective interactive transmission and family transmission. It has a long history and circulates widely; its influence on traditional Chinese culture is relatively deep, and it has provided themes and creative inspiration for many forms of artistic expression. It is of some reference value for understanding the historical changes of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, its direct cultural links with the Central Plains and their development, and the condition of ethnic cultural exchange and fusion. The ideas of praying for peace and of tolerance and equality that it contains, and its pursuit of health and longevity, reflect the people's simple wishes, and it has a value that cannot be underestimated in history, literature, ethnology and folklore studies.
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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