This monograph provides a detailed, well-founded account of the Taoist beliefs that contribute to a wide range of types of Chinese folk tales, including myths, legends, oral literature, folk tales, and more. It explores how Taoism has influenced the style of Chinese folk tales, as well as the artistic features it has introduced and displayed in Chinese folk literature. This richly informative book represents the author's keen perception of both Taoism and Chinese folk literature. As the first attempt at an interdisciplinary study of the interaction of Chinese culture, religion, and literature, the book is indispensable for scholars and students of both Taoism and Chinese folk literature.

Born in August 1935 in Xiantao, Hubei Province, China, Shouhua Liu is a folklorist and professor at the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Central China Normal University. He is the editor-in-chief of The Yearbook of Chinese Folk Art and Literature and serves as the honorary president of Hubei Folk Artists Association. In 2022, he was conferred the title of Lifetime Achievement Folk Artist by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles. Liu has published over 400 articles and more than 10 books in the fields of folk literature, folklore, comparative literature, ancient literature, and religious studies, becoming a leading figure in contemporary Chinese folktale studies. The publication of A Collection of Liu Shouhua’s Folktale Studies in 2020, a ten-volume collection, fully demonstrates his achievements of systematic studies in the field.