Tapping into a rich past

Two popular series are inspired by Chinese folk tales and legends. [Photos provided to China Daily]

The series, called Mythical Creatures in the Forbidden City, features an 11-year-old girl called Li Xiaoyu whose mother worked in the Forbidden City; a white cat called Lihua that's said to be a descendant of the cats raised by the emperors' concubines; and mythical creatures that people see in the old palace, such as the stone statues on the roofs.

The writer, 37-year-old Chang Yi, lived near the palace as a child, and she grew up listening to tales and legends of the Forbidden City.

For her, the ancient palace was a big amusement park full of fabled beings.

Chang says she often went to the palace with her grandfather to look at the creatures.

But she finds that today's children are not so interested in the Forbidden City. They see it as a boring place full of buildings, or an attraction to which parents take their children to look for places they saw in a TV series.

She says she once heard a grandfather telling his grandson that the creature on the giant door of the palace was a lion. She corrected him.

"It's called Jiao Tu, whose body is actually like that of a snail. It dislikes other creatures entering its den and always guards against any casual entry. So people put its head on doors," she told the man and the boy.

Speaking about the characters featured in her books, Chang says that, in order to better understand and present the characteristics of the creatures, she referred to such works as The Classic of Mountains and Seas and In Search of the Supernatural.

She also created new plots for these mythical creatures to make the old legends and tales more acceptable for a modern readership.

The books have sold more than 240,000 copies.

Chang hopes that they can provide a reason for children to visit and learn about the Palace Museum.