Among the numerous Oriental stories in medieval Europe, the legend of Elder John is the most widely spread and influential. The legend of elder John is closely related to the religious and social background of medieval Europe. The legend led Westerners to believe that King John, a monarch and religious leader, existed in the East. Western churches also sent missionaries to China and once reached the surrounding areas of Tibet. However, the Chinese narrative of missionaries in the cognitive framework of elder John's legend has both recognition and criticism. The Chinese narrative in the Western text reflects some subconscious content of western culture. The Chinese image in the text reflects not so much the reality or history of China as the collective unconsciousness of western culture.

Xiaomei Han. Imagination and Narration: Chinese Narration of Elder John’s Legend. International Journal of Frontiers in Sociology (2020), Vol. 2, Issue 8: 98-105. https://doi.org/10.25236/IJFS.2020.020813.

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