Ancient Stories about Dreams in China

Dream culture is an important part of ancient Chinese culture. There are many ancient stories about dreams in China, and the most famous one is Zhuangzhou Dreamt of Butterfly.

Zhuangzhou Dreamt of Butterfly

In ancient times, there was a man named Zhuangzhou. One day, he dreamt of himself becoming a butterfly. When he woke up, he posed a philosophical question: Was Zhuangzhou dreaming of himself becoming a butterfly, or was a butterfly dreaming of itself becoming Zhuangzhou?

Golden Millet Dream

Golden Millet Dream is a story about a poor, unhappy scholar who fell asleep while waiting for his lunch. He dreamt he became a high official and enjoyed a life of wealth and comfort, only to wake up and find that the pot of millet was still cooking for him on the fire.

Jiang Yan Dreamt about the Blooming of His Writing Brush

Jiang Yan Dreamt about the Blooming of his Writing Brush is a story Jiang Yan, an official from the Southern Dynasty (479-534). One night when he fell asleep, he dreamt a god gave him a colorful writing brush, and from then on his literary talents were inspired and he became the most successful writer of that time. When Jiang Yan was old, the god appeared once again in his dream and told Jiang to give the writing brush back to him. Jiang’s brilliant creative power soon faded away.