Yu Gong Moves the Mountains, a Chinese Myth

In ancient China, there was an old man named Yu Gong.  Yu Gong lived in a remote place and had to travel by foot to the nearest town to get supplies for his farm.  Because there were two great mountains between his home and the nearest town, Yu Gong’s journey took many hours.  One day, Yu Gong decided that he had had enough of these mountains that added much time and walking to his journey, and he set about to move the two mountains out of the way, one stone at a time.  Yu Gong’s sons and grandsons also helped him as he moved the stones.  Many people laughed at him, but Yu Gong replied, “These mountains are never going to get any bigger, but my children’s children will only increase.”  The gods were so moved by the determination of Yu Gong and his family that they helped by moving the two great mountains out of the way.  This story shows that, though a task may seem impossible, with one’s family anything is possible.  (Pic:  Annie ponders the "He Lan Mountains" during a hike.  We can see these mountains from our living room window.)

Kuafu Chases the Sun, a Chinese Folk Tale

In ancient China, Kuafu was a farmer who had extraordinary strength.  Everyone said that Kuafu could run like the wind!  One year in Kuafu’s village, there was a terrible drought in his village, and all the crops died as a result of the scorching sunlight.  Kuafu decided to teach the sun a lesson, so he set out running toward the west with the goal of overtaking the sun in its path.  Kuafu ran and ran and became very thirsty.  He drank all the water in the Yellow River.  Then he drank all the water in the Wei River.  Kuafu, however, was still thirsty and tried to reach the North Sea so that he could drink that water, too.  Unfortunately, Kuafu died of thirst before he ever reached the North Sea.  His body became a mountain on which groves of peach trees grew that would give nourishment to passing travelers.  The moral of the story is that one should not attempt the impossible because nothing will be gained.  (The pic is "The Sun Gate," a feature at the "Western Film Studios" near our city where many famous Chinese movies have been made.)

Jingwei Fills the Sea, a Legend from China

Many years ago, the Chinese god called Yan Emperor had a beautiful daughter.  One day he took his daughter out on the East Sea in a boat; however, the boat was capsized by a large wave, and the daughter drowned.  Her spirit became a beautiful bird that flew over the sea and cried out “Jingwei!”  This bird hated the East Sea and decided that she would fill it up.  Every day, without rest, the Jingwei bird would carry stones and tree branches from the nearby mountains and drop them into the East Sea.  She never tired of fulfilling her mission to fill up the East Sea so that no one else would ever drown in it again!  (The pic is the coast of the Indian Ocean, Thailand.)