The Story#
A long, long time ago, the Emperor Yan had a little daughter named Nüwa.
Nüwa was a lively and lovely little girl. She loved playing by the sea the most.
One day, Nüwa rowed a small boat out to the deep sea to play.
Suddenly, the sky turned dark. A big wind blew “Whoosh! Whoosh!” and big waves crashed “Splash! Splash!”
“Help! Help!” Nüwa cried out.
But the wind and waves were too strong. The small boat was overturned, and Nüwa sank into the sea.
After Nüwa died, she turned into a little bird. It had patterns on its head, a white beak, and red feet.
This little bird was called “Jingwei.”
Jingwei hated the sea for taking her life. She decided to fill up the sea!
So, every day Jingwei flew to the western mountains, picked up small stones and twigs, flew over the sea, and dropped them in.
“Splash!” A stone fell into the sea. “Splash!” A twig fell into the sea.
The sea laughed at her: “Little bird, you’re so small. How can you ever fill me up?”
Jingwei said firmly: “Even if it takes a thousand years, ten thousand years, I will fill you up!”
From then on, Jingwei carried stones and dropped them every day, never stopping.
What the Story Teaches Us#
Jingwei was very small, but she had a firm determination. She teaches us to have perseverance and not give up just because things are difficult.