The Five Chinese Brothers is book written by Claire Huchet Bishop and illustrated by Kurt Wiese. It was originally published in 1938 by Coward-McCann as an American children’s book. The Five Chinese Brothers is an adaptation of an old Chinese folktale from the Ming Dynasty, Ten Brothers. Ten Brothers was one of the first superhero stories ever told. One brother could fly, one had binocular vision and one had super strength. Their one weakness was limestone. If they touched limestone they would lose their super human ability.
The Five Chinese Brothers is about five brothers that lived China many years ago. Each brother has extraordinary talents. One can swallow the sea; one can stretch his legs; one can not be burned; one can hold his breath forever; and one has an iron neck.
One day when the first brother was going out fishing a boy asked if he could go with him. The Brother was reluctant because it was too dangerous but said he could go “Under one condition, and that is that you shall obey me promptly.”
Then first brother had swallowed the sea so the boy could hunt for fish and treasure but the boy would not come back when the first brother signaled him. When he could not hold back the sea any longer, he released it and the boy drowned. The brother was arrested and condemned to die by beheading. The story revolves around four of the brothers rescuing the first brother from execution by taking his place. When the executioners could not kill the brothers the judge proclaimed that he must be innocent.
I believe this story to be well written and engaging for children. The flow of the words is easy to read and understand and the narrative is short and precise so as to captivate the reader.The illustrations in the story are a bit stereotypical in that all the brothers look alike however, it’s imperative to the story that you can’t tell the brothers apart. All the characters are depicted with yellow skin but so is everything else in the book . In the 1930’s it was very typical to use black and white illustrations and then add one color to make the picture stand out from the text. All the people are depicted wearing the same clothes. In china during the Han dynasty cotton was domesticated and it became a civilized fabric unlike that of wool or felt. It was cheaper than silk but socially acceptable. Then during the Ming Dynasty “ A short indigo-dyed cotton jacket worn over similar calf-length trousers (for men) or a skirt (for women) became and remained the characteristic dress of Chinese peasants and workers. Cotton batting substituted, in cheaper clothing, for silk floss in padded winter garments.” “Sleeves were also long enough to cover the hands, and the sleeves themselves were each one foot wide. Bright red shoes were the typical fashion.” “Essential to the clothed look of all adults was a proper hairdo—the hair grown long and put up in a bun or topknot, or, for men during China’s last imperial dynasty, worn in a braided queue—and some kind of hat or other headgear. The rite of passage of a boy to manhood was the “capping ceremony,” described in early ritual texts. No respectable male adult would appear in public without some kind of head covering, whether a soft cloth cap for informal wear, or a stiff, black silk or horsehair hat with “wing” appendages for officials of the civil service. To appear “with hair unbound and with garments that wrap to the left,” as Confucius put it, was to behave as an uncivilized person.”(“Clothing and Fashion Encyclopedia China: history of dress” pg.2 2009) This proves to me that this clothing is non stereotypical and the kind of dress they show in the book would have been appropriate for the period.
That being said the content of the story is inappropriate for the children that the book was meant for. In the book a naughty child dies because he does not listen to his elders and the brothers are being executed in some truly horrific ways. According to Nimon, “many take the position that children’s books containing violence and conflict are often worthwhile, but that when they showcase violence it is essential that they do so in ways that show the suffering caused.”(Nimon, 1993 pg.31) In this book everybody lived out their life with no ill consequences of the violence that was portrayed.
We have to remember that this story is from China 1368 to 1644! Even the last adaptation is from 1938! Our views and changed tremendously over that time. When I was a child in the 1970’s this was one of my favorite books. I didn’t think twice about the violence in it. That was back when we still played cowboys and Indians with guns and bows and we didn’t have to come home until dark. We have progressed since then and we know now that this is not what is best for children and our society.
The Five Chinese Brothers
By: Claire Huchet Bishop, 1938.
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