Chinese mythology is rich in resources and vast in number. Ethnic minority myths carry precious cultural memories and serve as carriers of the primitive thinking and excellent traditional culture various ethnic groups. While each is unique, they also manifest commonalities and are an important part of Chinese mythology.

How do ethnic minority myths shape and strengthen the Chinese cultural identity Wang Xianzhao, a researcher at the Institute of Ethnic Literature of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and a professor at the University of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, was interviewed this topic.

The summary of the interview transcript is as follows:
Reporter: China's ethnic minority cultures have a profound heritage, nurturing myths that with their respective local customs. Why have the myths of China's ethnic minorities survived to this day?
Wang Xianzhao: The essence of myth is "human" talk it is humans using "gods" or "divine figures" to tell their own stories. An important reason why ethnic minority myths have survived to this day is that they simultaneously two characteristics: "historical truth" and "cultural truth."
For example, in the southwest region, the description of the creation of heaven and earth in the Achang peoples "Zhepama and Zhemima" reflects the Achang ancestors' observations and understanding of natural phenomena; the migration process recorded in the Miao people's "Ancient Songs is a vivid portrayal of the Miao people's historical development; the Naxi people's "Genesis" carries the ancestral memories and cosmic perceptions of the ethnic group, vividly reflecting social life of the Naxi ancestors. Combining such mythological materials, the famous modern Chinese scholar Wen Yiduo wrote "A Study of Fuxi," further investigating the objective history of Chinese nation's cultural identity. This can be considered a manifestation of the "historical truth" of ethnic minority myths.
A large number of ethnic minority myths express people's observations of history and natural emotions through fictional characters and plots. Consequently, myths contain corresponding values, moral concepts, and so on. The "fiction" in myths is an artistic representation true history, rather than the "nothingness" of history; this is "cultural truth."
Reporter: What are the ethnic characteristics of the myths of China's ethnic minorities, and are there any commonalities to be?
Wang Xianzhao: The *Book of Rites: Royal Regulations* records, "All the materials of the people are determined by the cold, heat, dryness, humidity of heaven and earth, and the different systems of wide valleys and great rivers, and the people living among them have different customs." The geographical environment determines the customs and habits of ethnic group, and myths therefore reflect the cultural characteristics of different regions, serving as an invaluable "encyclopedia". Ethnic groups in southern China often use "the flood that submerged the" as the background of their stories, such as the Zhuang people's *Bubbo* myth, which tells of the Thunder God causing a flood that submerged the world, with Bubbo's children surviving by hiding in a gourd, later becoming the ancestors of humanity; while northern ethnic groups often take the "collapse of heaven and earth" as a premise such as the Tu people's story where a stone lion predicts the collapse of mountains and the splitting of the earth, leaving only a kind and honest woodcutter in the human world who then molds clay figures that all come to life. This is not without the influence of regional differences—the south is rainy, hot, and humid, suffering from floods, while myths may choose other disasters that cause human rebirth as their background.
Even for the same imagery, the meaning expressed in the myths of different ethnic groups in China may vary. imagery in the myths of various ethnic minorities is sometimes drawn from local materials, sometimes created by analogy, and sometimes carries the color of folk beliefs. All these reflect the innate ways of, psychological qualities, and cultural traditions of each ethnic group.
At the same time, commonalities are embedded in individuality. Taking floods as an example again, although the flood myths different ethnic minorities may have different protagonists, experiences, and outcomes, they generally reveal a similar attitude of humans in the face of floods: depicting the overwhelming flood and its numerous dangers; the tenacity and wisdom of humans in their struggle against the flood; and showing the outcome of the flood, ending with humans achieving new reproduction and development
Reporter: Compared to Western mythological systems, are the commonalities in the myths of China's ethnic minorities more?
Wang Xianzhao: Western myths vary across different countries and regions, generally emphasizing the individuality of gods, such as reflecting their personal wisdom, telling their love stories, and wars among them. In contrast, the myths of China's ethnic minorities place more emphasis on collective strength and cultural harmony. The Yao creation epic "Miluoduo" tells story of the goddess Miluoduo and her children jointly transforming heaven and earth. Repairing, afforestation, bridge-building, and house-building all rely on group collaboration This reflects the long-standing recognition among Chinese ethnic groups of collective cooperation as a way of survival, and also demonstrates national spirits such as the unity of heaven and humanity, the Great under heaven, daring to innovate, courage to create, indomitability, and a sense of responsibility.
In the myths of China's ethnic minorities, there are also gods who specifically manage a certain industry or field. For example, the Dragon God is often associated with weather phenomena such as rain. In the relevant narratives of different ethnic groups, a series uniquely Chinese sacrifices and celebrations centered around the Dragon God bringing rain have also evolved, forming collective behavioral patterns on fixed festivals or in specific situations. The collective sacrificial activities are open, not actively involving members of the ethnic group itself but also allowing other surrounding ethnic groups to integrate, demonstrating an understanding and recognition of commonalities.
Reporter: With the development and changes of times, what evolutionary trends have the myths of China's ethnic minorities undergone? What are the connections between the myths of different ethnic groups? Could you provide examples for analysis?Wang Xianzhao: The distribution of China's ethnic groups is characterized by "wide dispersion, small-scale concentration, and crisscrossing mixed residence," and the interaction, exchange and integration among them is an indisputable fact. From a large number of ethnic mythological works, one can also see an overall evolutionary trend from individuality to commonality.
As a creation narrative among China's ethnic groups, the plot and imagery of the Pangu myth may be the product of multi-ethnic cultural exchanges in history. Some studies believe that theangu myth originated among southern ethnic groups, and the totem ancestor narratives of "Panhu," "King Pan," and "Ancestor Panhu" among the Miao, Yao, and She are related to the emergence of the Pangu myth. Similar Pangu narratives are also passed down among the Zhuang, Dong, Bai, Yi, and Gelao peoples. It can said that the Pangu myth is the product of social production, life, and cultural exchanges among various ethnic groups. The high level of identification with the Pangu myth among all ethnic demonstrates the cultural consensus and the spiritual characteristic of "plurality within unity" formed by the Chinese nation in the long historical process
Reporter: Why is it said that the myths of China's ethnic minorities are key elements in shaping and strengthening the identity of the Chinese?
Wang Xianzhao: "The Nine Yi, Eight Di, Seven Rong, and Six Man, known as the Four Seas," China is a unified national family composed of56 ethnic groups. Throughout history, the ancestors of various ethnic groups have placed the cultural identity of the Chinese nation in a prominent position. Many myths of ethnic minorities that are passed down today also reflect the true history of interaction, exchange, and integration of the Chinese nation since ancient times.
The Tujia myth "Brother and Sister Marriage" says that the marriage of Fuxi and his sister, they gave birth to a large ball of flesh, which later became the ancestors of various ethnic groups. The Lhoba myth "Fivehoba Brothers" says that the son of the sun and the daughter of the moon had five sons, who respectively became the ancestors of the Han, Tibetan, Lhoba,pa, and Jingpo peoples... These myths complement the deficiencies of Han Chinese documentary myths, form an intertextual relationship with historical narratives, and reflect the overall view of the Chinese "tightly embracing like pomegranate seeds."
"Mythical China" is everywhere. As an important marker in the process of human civilization, the myths of China's ethnic minorities only explain the past and present, but also powerfully prove with unquestionable facts the interpretation that "the 56 ethnic groups in our country are all equal members of the big family of Chinese nation, jointly constituting a community with a shared future for the Chinese nation, where you are in me, I am in you, and no one can be separated from the other which is the strong confidence of Chinese culture.
Interviewee Profile:

Wang Xianzhao, a researcher at the Institute of Ethnic Literature of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Academy of Social Sciences. He is mainly engaged in the research of Chinese mythology and big data of traditional Chinese culture. He has presided over and completed multiple projects, including the major National Science Fund project "Construction of the Database of Chinese Ethnic Minority Myths", published over 30 academic works such as "W Catalog of Chinese Mythological Motifs" and "Data of Chinese Mythological Character Motifs", published over 100 papers on mythology, and has won awards such as the "Shanhua Award of Chinese Folk Literature and Art (Outlook New Era)