The Story#
A long, long time ago, there was a man named Zhong Kui.
Zhong Kui didn’t look very handsome—he had a leopard’s head, round eyes, and an iron face with curly whiskers. But he studied very hard and was very learned.
One year, Zhong Kui went to the capital for the imperial exam and did very well!
But when the emperor saw that Zhong Kui was ugly, he wouldn’t let him become an official.
Zhong Kui was so angry that he banged his head against the palace pillar and died.
When the Jade Emperor learned of this, he felt Zhong Kui was wronged. He made him the “True Lord of Demon Quelling,” responsible for catching ghosts.
Zhong Kui gained magical powers and specialized in catching evil ghosts that harmed people.
He wore a red robe and carried a sword, looking very impressive!
One day, a bad ghost came to the human world to cause trouble, scaring children so they couldn’t sleep.
Zhong Kui found out and came riding on a tiger!
“Where are you running!”
Zhong Kui waved his sword and caught the bad ghost in one stroke.
From then on, people pasted Zhong Kui’s picture on their doors, hoping he would protect their homes.
During the Dragon Boat Festival, people also hang Zhong Kui’s picture to drive away evil.
Little friends, although Zhong Kui looked scary, he was a kind and brave good god!
What the Story Teaches Us#
Zhong Kui didn’t look good on the outside, but he was kind and protected everyone from bad ghosts. This story teaches us not to judge by appearances—what matters is having a kind heart.