New modern-day myth about China

www.chinapage.com/general/myth/myth.html

Modern Mythology - Xin Shen Hua

Invented / popularized on the Internet

Mythologies are often associated with ancient societies like Greece or China. One often overlooks or is not even aware that new myths are contiually produced at the present time. Since Internet, the speed by which a myth is spread worldwide, and the time it take to establish such myths, has become ever faster and shorter. How do we separate facts and truth from lies and falsehood is one of the biggest challenges of Modern Times.

Here are some examples of new myths (related to China) which may attain the status of "psudo-facts" :

Give a man a fish...
The expression "授人以鱼不如授人以渔" does not originate from the Chinese.
A Chinese saying conveying the same idea is:
良田万亩不如一技在身

Myths about the Chinese word for crisis
Myth: The Chinese word for "crisis" means "danger and opportunity."
Fact: The Chinese word is weiji , which means "an opportunity for danger."

Myth: A picture is worth a thousand words.
Fact: This is not a Chinese saying. It was coined by a American advertising copy writer in New York by the name of Fred Barnard (American), on March 10,1927.

May you live in interesting times
This expression appeared in a speech by Robert F. Kennedy on June 7,1966, who attributed it as a Chinese proverb. It is not. See above reference for details.
See this also.
Myth: Great Wall is a man-made object visible from space.
Fact:The Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei stated (2004) that the Great Wall is not visible from space.
Tikki Tikki Tembo a chain tale from China recalled by D. L. Ashliman

False rumors about food in Chinese restaurants
Anyone can post any stories on the Internet. No one bothers to check or delete malicious stories on the Internet.

Friendly Feudalism: The Tibet Myth by Michael Parenti
Throughout the ages there has prevailed a distressing symbiosis between religion and violence. The histories of Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, and Islam are heavily laced with internecine vendettas, inquisitions, and wars. Again and again, religionists have claimed a divine mandate to terrorize and massacre heretics, infidels, and other sinners.
Read this article before you form an opinion.

Urban myth is not just confined to English. Here is one in French:
"Proverbe Chinois: Quand la riviere est rouge, prends le petit sentier boueux."
Translation in English:
"Chinese proverb: When the river is red, take the small muddy path."

Chinese Mythology

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