The Five Chinese Brothers (seeking info about)

[oryanfactor]

Didn't quite know where else to put this question, but I'm willing to bet one of you fine folks has some knowledge of this....

 

I thought it might be beat to use the Five Chinese Brothers, from the story of the same name, in a fantasy setting, but I can't remember enough about them, nor can I find them online!

 

As I recall, one of them had an iron neck, another could swallow the ocean and another was invulnerable to fire. Does anyone have more info or know where I can find some?

 

oryan

[keithcurtis]

Re: The Five Chinese Brothers (seeking info about)

 

One could stretch his legs, and one could hold his breath forever?

 

Keith "Must look up" Curtis

[keithcurtis]

Re: The Five Chinese Brothers (seeking info about)

 

Best I could find was that the authenticity of the tale is questionable. It is supposedly based upon "The Seven Chinese Brothers", but even that is of dubious authenticity.

I'd say, make them up yourself, or head off to the public library for a copy of the book.

 

Keith "five minute researcher" Curtis

[Labrat]

Re: The Five Chinese Brothers (seeking info about)

 

Wow I remember that one from when I was my son's age (8 or so). That was a cool story. KC hit it right on the head though about the abilities. The Emperor wanted to kill them for some reason, but he couldn't do it. And that was the kid's book version of the story (we really weren't spared much in the way of graphic violence, were we?)

 

Talk about a time warp moment... I hope someone can come up with a link. That would be a certified blast from the past. I've got some Rep for both of you!

[The Monster]

Re: The Five Chinese Brothers (seeking info about)

 

swallow all the water

iron neck

stretch neck

inflammable

hold breath forever

 

...a very quick search resulted in...

http://www.flim.com/remlafaq/reckoning/7cb.html

[The Monster]

Re: The Five Chinese Brothers (seeking info about)

 

swallow all the water

iron neck

stretch neck

inflammable

hold breath forever

 

...a very quick search resulted in...

http://www.flim.com/remlafaq/reckoning/7cb.html

 

 

...maybe non-flammable would be a better word

[Labrat]

Re: The Five Chinese Brothers (seeking info about)

 

The Five Chinese Brothers (Paperstar) (Paperback)

by Claire Huchet Bishop, Kurt Wiese (Illustrator) "ONCE upon a time there were Five Chinese Brothers and they all looked exactly alike..." (more)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0698113578/ref=sib_dp_pt/104-4052196-7281531#reader-link

 

 

The Seven Chinese Brothers (Blue Ribbon Book) (Paperback)

by Margaret Mahy, Mou-Sien Tseng (Illustrator) "Once upon a time, when Ch'in Shih Huang was emperor of all China, seven remarkable brothers lived together on a beautiful hillside..." (more)

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4-- The seven brothers walk, talk, and look alike, but each has his own special power. When the third brother runs afoul of the emperor and is sentenced to be beheaded, the fourth brother, who has bones of iron, takes his place. The emperor then tries drowning and burning but each time a different brother foils his scheme. Mahy retells this traditional Chinese tale in graceful, witty prose. She uses classic storytelling elements to their best advantage and, without any attempt to imitate Chinese syntax, her choice of words gives a feeling of time and place. Both jacket notes and an editor's foreword give background information about the tale. Beginning with the cover, which shows the smiling brothers looming over a cowering emperor, the Tsengs' rich watercolors complement and enhance the story. With great skill, they interweave elements of ancient Chinese painting with lively pictorial storytelling. The emperor, encased in voluminous ceremonial robes, is an embodiment of corrupt yet insecure power, and the beautiful faces of the seven brothers, although alike, glow with life. Many readers will be familiar with the classic Claire Bishop/Kurt Wiese version of the The Five Chinese Brothers (Coward-McCann, 1938). The style of both text and illustrations is so different from the Mahy/Tseng book that comparisions are inappropriate. An exceptional new telling of the story. --Karen James, Louisville Free Public Library, KY

 

You can get both together for a discount at Amazon.com

 

That's the same book cover for the Five Chinese Brothers that I remember seeing as a kid. Weird.

[Old Man]

Re: The Five Chinese Brothers (seeking info about)

 

What's funny is that I have both those books for my kid... here we go. The Five Chinese Brothers is ©1938 Claire Hutchet Bishop, illustrations at the same time by Kurt Wiese... undoubtedly why it looks familiar.

 

1. swallow the sea

2. iron neck

3. stretch legs

4. non-flammable

5. hold breath indefinitely

 

First Brother accidentally drowns a snotty little kid (the kid's fault) and is sentenced to death.

 

 

Seven Chinese Brothers ©1990 Margaret Mahy, illustrations by Jean and Mou-sien Tseng.

 

1. super hearing (fly sneeze at 100 mile range)

2. super sight (see fly at 100 mile range)

3. super strength

4. indestructible/bones of iron

5. leg stretch

6. non-flammable

7. cries tears the size of villages when unhappy

 

Third Brother singlehandedly fixes a large hole in the Great Wall; emperor feels threatened and order him executed.

 

The older book is better, IMO.

[Old Man]

Re: The Five Chinese Brothers (seeking info about)

 

The older book is better, IMO.

 

Agreed. We have the second book, and I was quite disappointed when I read it. The first has a better flow to it and makes for easier reading. I think it makes more sense to kids too.

[csyphrett]

Re: The Five Chinese Brothers (seeking info about)

 

The descriptions of the brothers reminds me of a Jack tale I read once. I can't remember the name of it now. Jack's brothers are thrown in a dudgeon for trying to win the hand of the princess. The family doesn't know what happened. So he sets off to find them. Along the way, Jack helps an old woman who advises him to make friends with everyone he meets. Jack's new friends help him free his brothers and win the princess.

CES

[Badger]

Re: The Five Chinese Brothers (seeking info about)

 

What's funny is that I have both those books for my kid... here we go. The Five Chinese Brothers is ©1938 Claire Hutchet Bishop, illustrations at the same time by Kurt Wiese... undoubtedly why it looks familiar.

 

1. swallow the sea

2. iron neck

3. stretch legs

4. non-flammable

5. hold breath indefinitely

 

First Brother accidentally drowns a snotty little kid (the kid's fault) and is sentenced to death.

 

 

Seven Chinese Brothers ©1990 Margaret Mahy, illustrations by Jean and Mou-sien Tseng.

 

1. super hearing (fly sneeze at 100 mile range)

2. super sight (see fly at 100 mile range)

3. super strength

4. indestructible/bones of iron

5. leg stretch

6. non-flammable

7. cries tears the size of villages when unhappy

 

Third Brother singlehandedly fixes a large hole in the Great Wall; emperor feels threatened and order him executed.

 

The older book is better, IMO.

 

#7 other than causing a flood, is there anything you can get out of the crybaby.

[Labrat]

Re: The Five Chinese Brothers (seeking info about)

 

#7 other than causing a flood' date=' is there anything you can get out of the crybaby. [/quote']

 

Lesson: Don't call him a 'crybaby'!

[Old Man]

Re: The Five Chinese Brothers (seeking info about)

 

Yeah, the book teaches you that if you cry a lot, then people will do whatever they can to keep you happy. lame.

[Old Man]

Re: The Five Chinese Brothers (seeking info about)

 

#7 other than causing a flood' date=' is there anything you can get out of the crybaby. [/quote']

 

Well, in the book the crybaby is aimed at a couple of hostile armies. So Brother #7 is a sort of WMD.

 

Moral aside, the second book is just too damn long to read to toddlers.

[Michael Hopcroft]

Re: The Five Chinese Brothers (seeking info about)

 

I remember reading the first version when i was in school. The historical context is not there, obviously -- the First Emperor was not nearly as well-known or notorious in the West as he is now.

 

The first brother was asked to hold the sea in his mouth so a young boy could gather up fish. But the boy dallied, despite the brother's frantic efforts to get him to come back, and the sea burst out drowning the child. The brother was sentenced to death for murder by a local magistrate (no Imperial involvement) and, with each proposed method of execution, a new brother swapped places to frustrate it. The magistarte concluded "If nothing we can do can kill this man, he must be innocent!" and issued a pardon.

 

The story serves to illustrate the virtue of "filial piety' that is so vital to the Chinese culture. Aiding a brother under sentence of death posed no dilemma whatsoever for any of these young men -- family loyalty is more important than any other consideration.

 

To model the abilities:

 

Brother 1: 15d6 Major Transform, body of water to empty body of water, area effect, heals back when user if redcued to 10 END or less, required END expenditure to maintain plus 15d6 Foce Wall (to hold back the hexes of water the Transform didn't reach) with the same Limitations. This would be very useful for things like harbor rescue, but the drain on the END of the user would mean that he would need helpers to do the actual search -- and they'd need to work fast.

 

2. 40 PD/0ED Armor, Neck Only (the neck required a Called shot to hit, and you'd take normal damage if hit anywhere else -- but in a fantasy campaign, where decapitation is a common means of capital punishment, the utility is obvious, and the limitations are severe enough that a character could afford it as a "quirk power" and still have other significant abilities).

 

3. 15" Stretching, Must remain realtively Straight. It can only be used to lengthen the limbs, but which limbs lengthen are not signficant to the power. You can't do such typical stretching tricks as reaching around a corner, but there are many bsituations where this can be handy (rescue operations again come to mind -- you will be the best friend of any tree-bound cat or person trapped on the third floor of a burning building.)

 

4. 30PD/30ED Armor, Only vs. Heat-Based attacks and effects, plus Life Support: High temperature environments (so you can operate normally in the middle of a raging inferno, the heat won't burn your lings, etc.) This is the guy you want if someone is trapped in a burning building!

 

5. LS: Doesn't Need to Breathe. This is one of the basic powers of the space-worthy super. You do breathe most of the time, but in an emergency you can do without it. Not only does this protect you from suffocation and strangulation, but it also means you will never drown.

[Markdoc]

Re: The Five Chinese Brothers (seeking info about)

 

5. LS: Doesn't Need to Breathe. This is one of the basic powers of the space-worthy super. You do breathe most of the time' date=' but in an emergency you can do without it. Not only does this protect you from suffocation and strangulation, but it also means you will never [i']drown[/i].

 

To EDM to another thread...

 

I'm Batman. And I can breathe in space

 

http://www.shortpacked.com/d/20050131.html

[keithcurtis]

Re: The Five Chinese Brothers (seeking info about)

 

I don't know if the other brothers had or should have had any moral dilemma in helping the sentenced one, since he was not truly culpable. And I don't think the First Emperor is notorious in China. He is a cultural hero. Like many bad guys of history.

At least this is my understanding from the Chinese people I have discussed it with.

 

Keith "Dong ma?" Curtis

[Michael Hopcroft]

Re: The Five Chinese Brothers (seeking info about)

 

I don't know if the other brothers had or should have had any moral dilemma in helping the sentenced one' date=' since he was not truly culpable. And I don't think the First Emperor is notorious in China. He is a cultural hero. Like many bad guys of history.[/quote']

Given that you see the face of the President who ordered one of the most monstrous raciallly-inspired "crimes" in American history on the twenty-dollar bill, that should come as no surprise.