Oral traditions now accessible with a click

A key value of passing down a culture by word of mouth is that it takes on so many different forms in the process, reflecting changes in people's mentality and social reality.

Now an online database, the result of the Chinese Folk Artists Association's Chinese Oral Literature Digitalization Project, gives fans of Chinese traditional culture a chance to observe the evolution.

Type in the name of a folk legend, for example, and all related versions will pop up for your reference. Users can do this with 11 genres of oral literature, including myths, riddles and folk songs.