A methodological reform for comparative mythology
Rather than the pure study paradigm of traditional Chinese academics which focus only the written texts, we are brave enough to call the multi-resources methodology for contemporary comparative mythology. We try to make links between the ancient Han classical texts and the oral tradition of Chinese ethnic minorities, as well as the archaeological objects as a new source of the icon narrative in terms of visual anthropology. In this way, the Great goddess Nüwa finally finds one of her prehistoric animal archetype which was discovered by the 20th century Chinese archaeology. Now we could try to link effectively the mythical information from both literary narrative and icon narrative, in both history and prehistory, and get a new integrated understanding of the mythical culture as a whole, and the genealogical process of idea from divine to profane,from myths to philosophy.
Publications
A Goddess with Thousand Faces, ( Shanghai : 2004)
The Cultural Explanation of The Classics of Mountains and Seas: Geography in Imagination and Cultural Clashes between East and West ( in 2 vols, 2254 p. Wuhan:2004.[ISBN: 7216039262])
Literature and Anthropology: Literary Studies in the Global Age of Knowledge (Beijing:2003)
Archetype and Intercultural Hermeneutics ( Guangzhou:2002)
Castration And Madness in Ancient China (Shanghai:1999)
Twelve Animals in the Chinese Zodiac( Beijing: 1998)
Mystical Numbers of Ancient China (Beijing: 1998)
Philosophy of Chinese Mythology (Beijing: 1997 [ISBN: 7500408315])
The Goddess of Gaotang and Venus: The Theme of Love and Beauty in Chinese and Western Culture( Beijing: 1997)
A Cultural Interpretation of the Writings of Chuang Tzu ( Wuhan: 1997)
The Classic of Songs: A Cultural Hermeneutics-Genealogical Study of the Chinese Poetry (Wuhan: 1994)
The Hero and the Sun: An Archetypal Reconstruction of the Ancient Chinese Epic ( Shanghai: 1991. [ISBN: 7-8051-5634-4])