Yeh-Shen

Explore this on the mapTrace its ancestors and descendants live in the tree.

It provides a detailed early example of the 'Cinderella' archetype, where a protagonist's inherent goodness and magical aid lead to escape from oppression and marriage into royalty.

What it is

Yeh-Shen is a kind and beautiful girl living in ancient China, mistreated by her stepmother and stepsister. She is befriended by a magical fish, whose bones grant her wishes, allowing her to attend a festival where she loses a golden slipper, eventually leading to her marriage to a king.

↑Inherited from

This work originated its idea. No known prior influences in the dataset.

↓Passed on to(1)

Cendrillon· 1697↓ open

This Chinese folktale, recorded centuries before Perrault's version, contains almost all the key elements of the Cinderella story, including the wicked stepfamily, magical helper, lost slipper, and marriage to a ruler, proving the narrative's ancient roots.