Preview of Shen of the Sea Summary:

Shen of the Sea is a collection of sixteen lighthearted and humorous Chinese folktales. These action-filled stories express ancient Oriental philosophies and culture, and offer descriptions of pagodas and paper-covered windows, brocade tapestries and lacquered sedans, Chinese medicines and foods, and the constant fear of "death by beheading." Many of the tales attempt to explain the invention of a widely used article or the beginning of a custom: How were printing and gunpowder...