Chinese Fairy Tales (H. Giles, 1920)/Preface

This little volume of Chinese fairy tales has been written by Dr. Herbert A. Giles, Professor of Chinese in the University of Cambridge, formerly British Consul at Ningpo, China, and for twenty-six years resident in that country. It is intended as a companion to the Japanese fairy tales published in the same series.

It is very interesting to compare the tales in the two volumes. They are equally quaint and delightful, but the national spirit of the Chinese is very different from that of the Japanese, both being reflected in the stories in a thoroughly characteristic manner.

A. L. G.