Panda Bears and the Moon Goddess: Myths and Legends of China (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780692452783)

Chris Merritt grew up in England and was educated at British universities. She read Honours Zoology, then went on to the School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool University for an M.Sc. Her Ph.D. from Brunel University, London was on circadian rhythms in the malaria mosquito. Later she spent nearly two years in China, teaching parasitology to international students in the Medical School at Soochow University, Suzhou. The Chinese told her she was the first westerner ever to teach in a medical school in mainland China. She was also the only foreign faculty member on campus. This opportunity provided her with an inside look at daily life for Chinese students, their thinking, hopes and dreams, social issues, family life, the Communist Party and much more. She traveled in search of ancient China and her travels took her to Miao villages in the mountains, eco-museums in Guizhou, Confucius's birthplace and people living in caves. She found the Chinese to be a warm, generous hearted people with a great sense of humour who invited her to stay with their families in their hometowns. Merritt lived, shopped and ate with the Chinese and they shared their family histories, sexual orientation, love life and the wonderful myths and legends of China. These unique experiences are detailed in her first book, a travel-memoir; Once Upon A Time in China: Worms, Cha and a Harmonious Society, rated by Amazon/E-Book as #1 -Best New Books on China (January 15th 2012). She lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA with her husband, a Jungian Analyst/Ecopsychologist. Her three children live far and wide in Colorado, Hong Kong and Cambridge, England.