DR. DO-DIDDILY AND THE DEE-DOT'S TheWillow Pattern has many, many Stories.
Tikki Tikki Tembo
Once upon a time in faraway China there lived two brothers, one named
Sam, and one named Tikki Tikki Tembo No Sarimbo Hari Kari Bushkie Perry
Pem Do Hai Kai Pom Pom Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako.
Now one day the two brothers were playing near the well in their garden
when Sam fell into the well, and Tikki Tikki Tembo No Sarimbo Hari Kari
Bushkie Perry Pem Do Hai Kai Pom Pom Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako ran to his
mother, shouting, "Quick, Sam has fallen into the well. What shall we
do?"
"What?" cried the mother, "Sam has fallen into the well? Run and tell
father!"
Together they ran to the father and cried, "Quick, Sam has fallen into
the well. What shall we do?"
"Sam has fallen into the well?" cried the father. "Run and tell the
gardner!"
Then they all ran to the gardner and shouted, "Quick, Sam has fallen
into the well. What shall we do?"
"Sam has fallen into the well?" cried the gardner, and then he quickly
fetched a ladder and pulled the poor boy from the well, who was wet and
cold and frightened, and ever so happy to still be alive.
Some time afterward the two brothers were again playing near the well,
and this time Tikki Tikki Tembo No Sarimbo Hari Kari Bushkie Perry Pem Do
Hai Kai Pom Pom Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako fell into the well, and Sam ran
to his mother, shouting, "Quick, Tikki Tikki Tembo No Sarimbo Hari Kari
Bushkie Perry Pem Do Hai Kai Pom Pom Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako has fallen
into the well. What shall we do?"
"What?" cried the mother, "Tikki Tikki Tembo No Sarimbo Hari Kari
Bushkie Perry Pem Do Hai Kai Pom Pom Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako has fallen
into the well? Run and tell father!"
Together they ran to the father and cried, "Quick, Tikki Tikki Tembo No
Sarimbo Hari Kari Bushkie Perry Pem Do Hai Kai Pom Pom Nikki No Meeno Dom
Barako has fallen into the well. What shall we do?"
"Tikki Tikki Tembo No Sarimbo Hari Kari Bushkie Perry Pem Do Hai Kai
Pom Pom Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako has fallen into the well?" cried the
father. "Run and tell the gardner!"
Then they all ran to the gardner and shouted, "Quick, Tikki Tikki Tembo
No Sarimbo Hari Kari Bushkie Perry Pem Do Hai Kai Pom Pom Nikki No Meeno
Dom Barako has fallen into the well. What shall we do?"
"Tikki Tikki Tembo No Sarimbo Hari Kari Bushkie Perry Pem Do Hai Kai
Pom Pom Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako has fallen into the well?" cried the
gardner, and then he quickly fetched a ladder and pulled Tikki Tikki Tembo
No Sarimbo Hari Kari Bushkie Perry Pem Do Hai Kai Pom Pom Nikki No Meeno
Dom Barako from the well, but the poor boy had been in the water so long
that he had drowned.
And from that time forth, the Chinese have given their children short
names.
ARE YOU ALL WONDERING WHAT THE PICTURE IS UNDERNEATH ALL THESE WONDERFUL TALES?
YOU ARE! OKAY I WILL SHOW YOU, IT'S VERY BEAUTIFUL.
Isn't it beautiful, why don't you have a go at drawing a Chinese Dragon, then send it to me at: dottido@hotmail.co.uk
A CHINESE STORY
As you can see I
have been back to Wikipeadia checking up on the author of this little
tale I am about to tell you. I had forgotten all about her, and it was
only when Peter brought me home this book all about her that I
remembered some of her wonderful works. Here you go then a wonderful
story by Miss Eleanor Farjeon called:-
The Princess of China
You
must know that while the children had their supper, the Old Nurse did a
bit of darning; her stocking-basket was always full of the four
children's stockings, with holes in the toes and heels, and even in the
knees. And the Old Nurse would fish out a pair by chance, and draw it
down over her left hand, and turn it this way and that, looking for a
hole. And then while she threaded her darning-needle with the right
worsted, she would fish about in her memory for a tale to fit the hole,
and when the hole was finished then the tale was done. The children
always watched anxiously when she was looking at the stocking for the
hole in it, because a little hole only meant a little story, and a big
hole meant a longer one.
The Princess of China
'Here's
a tiny hole!' aid the Old Nurse, picking out Mary Matilda's little
sock. 'Just a speck in the toe, and nothing more. But what would you
expect of a baby, with a foot no bigger than that of the Princess of
China?'
I was nurse to the Princess of China before
England was old enough to know it had a name. I had been nurse before
that to her mother, the Queen, who was now a widow. The Princess was
the tiniest and most enchanting litle creature in the world - as light
as a butterfly, and as fragile as glass. A silver spoonful of rice made
a big meal for her, and when she said, 'Oh Nanny, I am so
thirsty!' I would fill my thimble with milk and give it to her to
drink; and then she left half of it. I made up her bed in my
work-box,and cut my pocket handkerchief in half two for a pair of
sheets. Her laugh was like the tinkle of a raindrop falling on a glass
bell. Really when we went out walking I was afraid of losing her! So I
slipped her into my purse, and left it open, and carried her like that.
And as we walked through the streets of Peking, she would peep out of
the purse and say, 'What a lot of people there are in the world,
Nanny!' But when we walked in the rice fields, and she saw the
butterflies at play, she cried, "Oh Nanny! who are all those darling
little people, and why do they never come to to see me in the palace?'
One day there came a message to the Queen of China that the Emperor of
Tartary was coming to marry her daughter and when the Princess was told
the news, she never stopped asking me a string of little questions
'Where is Tartary Nanny? Will I like Tartary? Are the people little
there, or big? What is the Emperor like? Will I like him? Is he very
enormous? Is he nice and tiny? What will be his wear? I
couldn't answer most of her questions, but when she cme to the last
one, I said, 'He'll wear purple, pet, like every other Emperor.'
'Purple!' she said. 'How pretty! Now I shall know him when I see him,
my pretty little purple Emperor!' and the Princess of China clapped
her tiny hands. She grew very excited about her Purple
Emperor, and the day he was expected she said suddenly, 'Nanny, I must
have a new dress!' 'Why, poppet, you have seven hundred new
dresses,' I told her, for hadn't I been kept busy sewing the tiny
garments since the news came? 'I don't mean those she said,
stampping her foot on my thumb-nail, where she had been standing at the
time. 'I mean a dress that is really beautiful for a Purple Emperor.' 'Where shall we find it?' I asked her.
'We'll look for it in the rice fields,' said she. So I popped her
into my purse, and we went out. The rice fields were as hot as ever,
and as full of butterflies, and in them, besides ourselves, was a
little Chinese boy, in a blue cotton shirt, chasing the butterflies.
Just as we came up, he clapped his two hands together over such a
little beauty, as delicate and gay as a flower, and when he parted his
hands the pretty thing fell dead at our feet. The Princess of China
wept with rage. 'Make the boy stand still while I pull his hair!'
she cried. And the boy had to come close and bend down his head, and
she took hold of two of his hairs and pulled them as hard as she could,
while he blinked his eyes a little. 'There!' said she. 'Now go away.
I'm never going to look at you again.'
'When the boy had gone, the Princess of China said to me , 'Give me
the poor little lady, Nanny.' So I picked up the butterfly and gave it
to her, and she fondled its soft bloomy wings, and cried a little, and
cuddled down inside the purse with it, so deep that I couldn't see her.
'Best let her get over her little fit by herself,' I thought; and
looked about for a bit of shade to sit in till she was happy again.
And there I rested watching the butterflies dancing in the heat haze
beyond the shadow; and especially one big fine fellow, and handsomest
butterfly I have ever seen, who kept hovering in and out of the shadow
as though he couldn't keep away from us. At last, as I sat very still,
he settled on my purse, and remained there quite a long while, moving
his long slender feelers this way and that; so that I imagined he was
saying something, if only I had ears tiny enough to hear him.
Whether I dozed or not, who can say? Perhaps I only nodded off for a
second or so. But when I next looked, I saw the handsome butterfly just
spreading his wings to fly, and besides him there was another
butterfly, much smaller and of the same gay, delicate sort that the
boy had killed. They rose together, their wings touching, and flew out
into the sunshine, where they danced awhile, and then disappeared in
the haze. I thought it was now time to return, in case the
Emperor of Tartary should be arriving, so I called into my purse, 'Come
poppet, we're going home!' There was no answer and I supposed she was
asleep; so I got up and walked home quietly. not to wake her.
When I reached the palace, the Queen ran out to meet me in a fluster.
'Oh there you are, Nanny! said she. 'The Emperor is just entering the
city, and we couldn't find you or the princess anywhere.' 'Here
she is, safe in my purse,' I said; and we opened the purse, and it was
as empty as an air balloon. We searched every corner of it in vain; and
then we ran back together to the rice fields, looking for her in the
dust on the way, though I knew she could not have fallen out as i came
home without my seeing it. When we came to the shadows where I had been
sitting, we searched the ground thoroughly, but there was not a sign of
her. There was nothing but the two butterflies, who had come back, and
settled first upon my hand , and then upon the Queen's. And the little
gay one fluttered her wings at me, as though to say, 'See my lovely new
dress!' Then it struck me all of a sudden, and I said to the Queen who
was weeping, 'What sort of a butterfly is this?' 'What a time
to ask Nanny!' wailed the Queen. 'I don't know what sort it is. The big
one is a Purple Emperor. But what a time to ask!' 'Dry your
eyes,' I said. 'It is useless to look any more. The Princess of China
is gone where she'll never come back from.' And I shook the two
butterflies off my hand and led the Queen back home. 'We were
met at the palace-gates by an excited crowd. The Emperor of Tartary had
arrived and there was no bride to greet him. But as we appeared, the
crowd cried, 'Here they are! Here's the Princesses Nurse!
and down the steps strode the Emperor of Tartary himself , a great big
handsome man, in a royal purple mantle. He walked straight to the
Queen and hugged her, saying, My Princess! My Bride! My Beautiful One!'
It took the Queen's breadth away, and ours too. But as soon as she
could she made a sign to me to say nothing and while the Emperor
embraced her again I signed to the crowd. They all understood, and
folded their hands in their sleeves and stood with downcast eyes as the
Emperor of Tartary led his bride into the palace. And where was the
harm of it? What would he have done with my tiny Princess of China for
a bride? He was much better off as he was.
'Gosh, I thought it was going to be a tinier tale than that, Nanny,'
said Doris, 'because the hole in Mary Matilda's sock was so tiny.' 'Ah.' said the Old Nurse, 'but tiny holes take very fine darning.'
The
Miao ethnic minority has a population of 8,940,116 which is larger than
most of minority groups in China. After immigration in a long history,
today they live mainly in Guizhou, Yunnan, Hunan, Hubei, Hainan
Provinces and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Prefecture.
They are
divided into several branches,such as Black Hmong, White Hmong,
Striped Hmong,
Miao Crafts The Miao people are very skilled at handicrafts, such as embroidering,
weaving, paper-cutting, batik, and jewelry casting. The Miao embroidery
and silver jewelry are delicate and beautiful. From hats, collars, and
cuffs to skirts and baby carriers, the patterns on their clothes are
extremely colorful, complicated but with clean lines. Girls of around
seven will learn embroidering from mothers and sisters, and when they
become teenagers, they are quite deft.
From the Miao People
CHINESE CREATION AND FLOOD MYTH
The Miao have no written records, but they have many legends in verse,
which they learn to repeat and sing. The Hei Miao
(or Black Miao, so called from their dark chocolate-colored clothes)
treasure poetical legends of the creation and of a deluge.
These are composed in lines of five syllables, in stanzas of unequal
length, one interrogative and one responsive. They are sung
or recited by two persons or two groups at feasts and festivals, often by
a group of youths and a group of maidens. The legend
of the creation commences:
Who made heaven and earth?
Who made insects?
Who made men?
Made male and made female?
I who speak don't know.
Heavenly King made heaven and earth,
Ziene made insects,
Ziene made men and demons,
Made male and made female.
How is it you don't know?
How made heaven and earth?
How made insects?
How made men and demons?
Made male and made female?
I who speak don't know.
Heavenly King was intelligent,
Spat a lot of spittle into his hand,
Clapped his hands with a noise,
Produced heaven and earth,
Tall grass made insects,
Stories made men and demons,
Made men and demons,
Made male and made female.
How is it you don't know?
The legend proceeds to state how and by whom the heavens were propped
up and how the sun was made and fixed in its
place.
The legend of the flood tells of a great deluge. It commences:
Who came to the bad disposition,
To send fire and burn the hill?
Who came to the bad disposition,
To send water and destroy the earth?
I who sing don't know.
Zie did. Zie was of bad disposition,
Zie sent fire and burned the hill;
Thunder did. Thunder was of bad disposition,
Thunder sent water and destroyed the earth.
Why don't you know?
In this story of the flood only two persons were saved in a large
bottle gourd used as a boat, and these were A-Zie and his
sister. After the flood the brother wished his sister to become his wife,
but she objected to this as not being proper. At length she
proposed that one should take the upper and one the lower millstone, and
going to opposite hills should set the stones rolling to
the valley between. If these should be found in the valley properly
adjusted on above the other, she would be his wife, but not if
they came to rest apart.
The young man, considering it unlikely that two stones thus rolled down
from opposite hills would be found in the valley, one
upon another, while pretending to accept the test suggested, secretly
placed two other stones in the valley, one upon the other.
The stones rolled from the hills were lost in the tall wild grass, and on
descending into the valley, A-Zie called his sister to come
and see the stones he had placed.
She, however, was not satisfied, and suggested as another test that
each should take a knife from a double sheath and,
going again to the opposite hilltops, hurl them into the valley below. If
both these knives were found in the sheath in the valley,
she would marry him, but if the knives were found apart, they would live
apart.
Again the brother surreptitiously placed two knives in the sheath, and,
the experiment ending as A-Zie wished, his sister
became his wife. They had one child, a misshapen thing without arms or
legs, which A-Zie in great anger killed and cut to pieces.
He threw the pieces all over the hill, and next morning, on awakening, he
found these pieces transformed into men and women.
Thus the earth was re-peopled.
Chinese
Proverbs
-
Different flowers look good to different people -
-
There is no wave without wind -
- A leopard cannot change its spots -
-
If you are in a hurry you will never get there -
-
Matrimony is the grave of romance -
-
A child's words have no guile -
-
You cannot fight a fire with water from far away -
-
In shallow waters, shrimps make fools of dragons -
-
If you plant melons , you get melons; if you plant beans, you get beans
-
Water thrown out is hard to put back into the container -
-
Road is made by people walking on the ground -
-
One's true nature is revealed in time of difficulty -
-
To cultivate trees, you need 10 years. To cultivate people, you need 100
years -
-
One step in the wrong direction will cause you a thousand years of regret -
-
The saddest thing is the death of the heart -
-
A single conversation with a wise man is better than ten years of study -
-
You won't help shoots grow by yanking on them -
-
A closed mind is like a closed book; just a block of wood -
-
A book is like a garden carried in the pocket -
-
Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still -
-
He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains
a fool forever.
-
If you are patient in a moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days
of sorrow -
-
Once on a tiger's back, it is hard to alight -
- One never needs their humor as much a when they argue with a fool -
-
To know the road ahead, ask those coming back -
-
Great souls have wills; feeble ones have only wishes -
-
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step -
Dr. Doodiddily and the dee-dots
Custom Search
The Magic Pear Tree
A Tale from China
Retold by Alida Gersie
A long time ago in ancient China a farmer went to market. He had
luscious pears to sell and was determined to ask a very high price.
Once he had found a good place in the market, he cried out: "Pears,
beautiful pears...!"
Whilst he called attention to his goods, an old ragged-looking monk
approached him. He humbly asked to be given one of the pears. The
farmer said: "Why should I give a pear to you? You're as lazy as
anything and haven't done an honest day's work in your life." As the
monk did not walk away but repeated his request, the farmer became more
and more angry. He called him the nastiest things under the sun.
"Good sir, " said the monk, "I cannot count the number of pears in
your wheelbarrow. You have hundreds of them. I have only asked for one
pear. Why has this made you so angry?"
By then a large crowd of people had assembled around the farmer and
the poor monk. "Give him a little pear," someone suggested, in the hope
that this might solve the problem. "Do as the old man asks, for
heaven's sake it is only a pear," another one remarked, but the farmer
wouldn't hear of it. "No is no is no," he said. Finally an elderly man
bought one of the pears and handed it reverently to the old monk.
The monk bowed, thanked the elderly man and said: "You know that I
am a holy man. When I became a monk I gave up everything. I have no
home, no clothes which I may call my own, no food other than what is
given to me. How can you refuse to give me a single pear when I ask for
it? I shall not be this selfish. I invite every one of you to eat one
of the pears that I have grown. It shall be an honour if you accept my
invitation."
The people were startled. Why had the monk asked for a pear if he
had so many pears with him? He did not seem to carry anything. What did
the old man mean?
The monk ate his pear with great concentration until there was just
one small pip left. He quickly dug a hole in the ground, planted the
pip and gently covered it with earth. Then he asked for a cup of water.
One of the people in the crowd handed him the water. The monk poured it
on the soil. Hardly any time had passed when the bystanders saw some
green leaves sprouting from the earth. These leaves grew very quickly.
The people were astounded. In front of their eyes stood a small pear
tree with branches and more branches and leaves, more and more leaves.
Where the old monk had planted the little pip only minutes ago, there
was now a small pear tree. It continued to grow faster and faster. They
could see it grow.
Silence fell in the marketplace as the tree burst into flower and
the flowers slowly turned into large, sweet-smelling pears. The monk's
face was aglow with pleasure. He picked the pears one by one, and
handed them to each person who had witnessed the pear tree's miraculous
growth. He handed them out and handed them out until everyone had been
refreshed by a delicious pear. Then the monk took his axe and before
the people even realized what was happening, the pear tree was cut
down. The monk simply picked the tree up, put it over his shoulder and
went on his way.
The farmer had watched the scene in amazement. He had not been able
to believe his eyes when the pear tree grew out of the ground so near
to his very own wheelbarrow which was full of pears. He looked at the
barrow. It was empty. Not a single pear was left in it. One of the
handles of the barrow was missing, too. Then the farmer knew what had
happened. The old monk had used his pears to create the wonderful pear
tree.
A woman working in a rice field looked up from her work. "What is this coming?" she cried. All the rest stood looking too.
There came towards them a girlish figure dressed in a faded Kimona; but
the stranger's name could not be seen, for a wooden bowl was placed on
her head, upside down, hiding all but her chin. This curious being appproached the overseer and asked in a timid voice if she might have work? "What do you wear that thing for?" was his reply. "It
is because of a vow," she answered. "Pray sir, if you can, let me serve
you. I am a good labourer, but in my village there are too toilers for
the harvest. I have walked very far. Please honourable sir, give me
work!" " Very well then," said the overseer. "I will give you a trial."
At
first the new comer was not allowed to show her diligence. The others
crowded round her, laughing and jeering. The young men tried to snatch
off her bowl. The maiden clung to it and bore all their rudeness in
silence. At last they grew tired, of teasing her and left her alone.
Then she set to work, and never rested, nor grew careless. "You may come again." said the overseer at the end of the day.
Until
the harvest was finished the girl worked like a little machine. She had
no friends among the labourers. Now and then someone made her the butt
of a joke, Yet she stayed silent under her bowl. As the harvesters took their wages the farmer said to the girl. "I like your work, and my wife needs a servant; will you work in the house like you did in the fields?" "Gladly, master," replied the miden. Every
humble duty was performed with as much care as an artist takes over a
masterpiece. That won her mistress's approval. The girl was so modest,
kind, and willing that the other servants soon ceased to tease her.
Then the mistress became ill, and the girl nursed her with a tenderness
never to be forgotten. And after that she became more like a daughter
than a servant to the rich couple. One day the farmer's wife said to the girl coaxingly: "Please tell me the story of your bowl!"
"There is really no secret about it," Replied the maiden, "though it
does make me sad to think about it. My father died many years ago; my
mother and I were very poor, but very happy and we loved each other
very much. She was always frightened that I might leave her because she
told me my face was beautiful and it would be terrible if a bad man
were to come and steal me away. Then one day my mother fell sick and
she begged me to cover my face with the bowl. She told me that one day
a good man would love me in spite of the ugly bowl." "Can you not take it off and show me now," said the farmer's wife. "Alas,
mistress it is now impossible, the maid replied. "The bowl has grown to
my head! and alas I cannot stir it. It seems I must wear it forever."
The time passed peacefully, until one day a message came from the
farmer's only son, who was a student in the capital. He was coming
home. There was a great hustle and bustle in the house, and everyone
was excited even the girl who had never seen the youth. When he came
she heard his pleasant voice telling of wonderful things - processions,
banquets, artists, scholars, courtiers. She so longed to lift her bowl
and look clearly at him. By and by the young man, so happy to be
home, noticed her. He whispered to his mother: "What deformity does she
hide, poor creature?" "Who knows?" replied the farmer's wife. "She will not remove the bowl, she is a good girl." As
the days went by the young man could not take his eyes off this
extraordinary bowl. He saw that the wearer was always doing a service
for someone, so modestly and gently that no one noticed who had done
the thing. He saw that she was always patient and good-humoured. And he
had never seen a more beautiful chin. The clever student
seemed in no hurry to return to the capital, he stayed at the farm,
talking to the maid who wore the bowl. Such wise and delightful ideas
seem to come from under the bowl. One day he told his parents that
he wished to marry her. They were very angry; after all the girl was
still a servant and also a laughing stock. The poor maiden wept, and
begged him not to make his parents angry. But nothing would dissuade
him from the marriage once he learnt that she had fallen in love with
his voice. At last his parents gave in and their permission was given
for the marriage to take place. At the close of the wedding
ceremony in Japan, the bride and bridegroom pledge each other in wine.
As the poor girl raised her cup her heart was heavy. She had no kinsman
there to wish her well. All the guest thought it a shame that the
wealthy farmer's son should marry a penniless and deformed servant.
Then as the wine touched her lips, the bowl began to crack and a shower
of gold, silver, and jewels came from it. Then the two halves fell
apart and dropped to the ground. The people there were so excited and
ran around picking up the maidens dowry with excited cries. But two
people remained unmoved. The maid and the youth stood looking at each
other for the first time. Wonderingly he saw that she was as beautiful
as her voice. . .
This is a more modern picture of the maiden, as you can see straight away you can not see the maiden's chin.
THE WILLOW- PATTERN LEGEND
There was once a Mandarin who had a beautiful daughter, Koong-se.
He employed a secretary, Chang, who, while he was attending
to his master's accounts, fell in love with Koong-se, much
to the anger of the Mandarin, who regarded the secretary as
unworthy of his daughter.
The secretary was banished and a fence constructed around
the gardens of the Mandarin's estate so that Chang could not
see his daughter and Koong-se could only walk in the gardens
and to the water's edge. One day a shell fitted with sails
containing a poem, and a bead which Koong-se had given to Chang,
floated to the water's edge. Koong-se knew that her lover was
not far away.
She was soon dismayed to learn that she had been betrothed
to Ta-jin, a noble warrior Duke. She was full of despair when
it was announced that her future husband, the noble Duke, was
arriving, bearing a gift of jewels to celebrate his betrothal.
However, after the banquet, borrowing the robes of a servant,
Chang passed through the guests unseen and came to Koong-se's
room. They embraced and vowed to run away together. The Mandarin,
the Duke, the guests, and all the servants had drunk so much
wine that the couple almost got away without detection, but
Koong-se's father saw her at the last minute and gave chase
across the bridge.
The couple escaped and stayed with the maid that Koong-se's
father had dismissed for conspiring with the lovers. Koong-se
had given the casket of jewels to Chang and the Mandarin, who
was also a magistrate, swore that he would use the jewels as
a pretext to execute Chang when he caught him.
One night the Mandarin's spies reported that a man was hiding
in a house by the river and the Mandarin's guards raided the
house. But Chang had jumped into the ragging torrent and Koong-se
thought that he had drowned. Some days later the guards returned
to search the house again. While Koong-se's maid talked to
them, Chang came by boat to the window and took Koong-se away
to safety.
They settled on a distant island, and over the years Chang
became famous for his writings. This was to prove his undoing.
The Mandarin heard about him and sent guards to destroy him.
Chang was put to the sword and Koong-se set fire to the house
while she was still inside.
Thus they both perished and the gods, touched by their love,
immortalised them as two doves, eternally flying together in
the sky.
Two pigeons, lover's flying high,
A Chinese vessel was sailing by,
Weeping Willow hanging o'er,
Bridge with lover's, father sore
Koong-Shee and Chang did fly,
To a small house not close by,
Happy lovers, ne'er a frown,
Little house was burn't to ground.
Ne'er no more were lover's seen,
Weeping Willows, sorrow, trees.
Empassioned love birds in the sky Their love, true love, ne'er will die.
THE TWELVE ANIMALS
The twelve animals of popular Chinese Astrology, known as the Chinese Zodiac, are as follows: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey , Rooster, Dog and Pig. There
are at least a couple of legends which state that the cat was supposed
to be among the twelve animals called by Buddha, but he didn't show up
and the Rat was given his place. No doubt I shall fill you in on all
the legends before the three books are written. The origin of the 12
animals is not earlier tan the T'ang dynasty, about AD600 at the
earliest. It is interesting to note that magical texts of the time
refer not just to12 animals but to 36. Each of the 12 animals being
accompanied by two others of a related species.
The RAT: Despite
being the first animal of the Chinese Zodiac there is very little
written in Chinese Mythology to give any reason why it should be in the
prime position. It has been thought that the twelve animals are actualy
an Indian invention.
The OX or Cow or Buffalo: brings Spring,
the Mang Shen is a clay figure which is taken into the fields at the
spring equinox, and then broken and scattered to the four winds. The
first page of every Chinese Almanac usually has the emblem of an ox
being led by a Herdsman who may be facing towards or away from the Ox.
The way and type of dress of the figure depicts the coming harvests.
The TIGER: Is of course the White Tiger and it is also a Celestial Emblem.
The RABBIT or Hare:
, the fourth animal of the Chinese Zodiac. The hare features
prominantly in Chinese Cosmological paintings and may be seen as a pair
or on their own. The story of the "Hare in the Moon" is one of the
lost legends of China, it is the Hare that is associated with the
elixir of life. The Moon Rabbit is featured largely in the Mid-Autumn
Festival.
The DRAGON: is the fifth sign of the Chinese zodiac. There
are many tales associated with dragons, I an quite certain I will be
telling you all about them later.
The SNAKE: The sixth of the
twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac. In the earliest Chinese
dictionary, the Shuo Wen, "Speech Signs" were written in AD120, a long
time before the animal names were in general use. The sixth branch, Ssu
is described as having the shape of a snake, and could be the reason
why Buddhist scholars may have used the sixth of the twelve branches. The
HORSE: the seventh of the Chinese Astronomical signs. Many legends are
told about horses, many of the early Buddhist Temples were named the
White Horse Temple.
The GOAT or SHEEP: The eighth sign of the
animal zodiac. The Chinese word Yang also translates as Ram or Goat,
something which should be remembered when looking at different Chinese
Astrology charts. The MONKEY: The Ninth of the twelve animals,
many , many legends surround the Monkey and the Monkey King, of which
we all must have seen at least one of the remarkable series which
appeared on the Televisions around the world.
The ROOSTER: The
tenth of the Twelve animals, and oddly the sign of the Rooster in the
Chinese Zodiac is portrayed as a retiring bird, not as a wake up call. The
DOG: the Eleventh Celestial sign, the Celestial Dog was believed to
devour the moon at eclipses and was eventually shot by the Celestial
Archer "Hou I."
The PIG: the last of the twelve animals. A
character in the romantic legend of the "Journey to the West" The seven
pigs are what we call the Plough or in my Wales, Sospan Fawr, also the
Great Bear and many more.
I WONDER WHAT ANIMAL SIGN YOU ARE? OR WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE AN ANIMAL THAT ISN'T IN THE CHINESE CALENDER
My Chinese sign is a Monkey, but if I could choose my own I think I would like to be a ...... Hm. I shall have to think for a while
A Suitable "Animal" is Perfect as a Partner, Coworker,
or Married with you. Click Your Animal Sign for Your Advantages
& Disadvantages, Feng Shui Symbols and more!
The Rat will get along
Well with Dragon and Monkey
but have to Avoid Horse.
The Ox will get along
Well with Snake and Rooster
but have to Avoid Goat.
The Tiger will get
along Well with Horse and Dog
but have to Avoid Monkey.
The Rabbit will get
along Well with Goat and Pig
but have to Avoid Rooster.
The Dragon will get
along Well with Rat and Monkey
but have to Avoid Dog.
The Snake will get
along Well with Ox and Rooster
but have to Avoid Pig.
The Horse will get
along Well with Tiger and Dog
but have to Avoid Rat.
The Goat will get along
Well with Rabbit and Pig
but have to Avoid Ox.
The Monkey will get
along Well with Dragon and Rat
but have to Avoid Tiger.
The Rooster will
get along Well with Snake and Ox
but have to Avoid Rabbit.
The Dog will get along
Well with Horse and Tiger but have to Avoid Dragon.
The Pig will get along
Well with Goat and Rabbit but have to Avoid Snake.
I
would like to acknowledge the use of this wonderul web site for these
two charts . Thankyou. http://www.chinese-zodiac-symbols.com/FAQ.html
Rat born in 2008, 1996, 1984, 1972, 1960,
1948, 1936, 1924, 1912, 1900; Ox born in 2009, 1997, 1985, 1973, 1961, 1949, 1937, 1925, 1913,
1901; Tiger born in 2010, 1998, 1986, 1974, 1962, 1950, 1938, 1926, 1914,
1902; Rabbit born in 2011, 1999, 1987, 1975, 1963, 1951, 1939, 1927, 1915,
1903; Dragon born in 2012, 2000, 1988, 1976, 1964, 1952, 1940, 1928, 1916, 1906 Snake born in 2013, 2001, 1989, 1977, 1965, 1953, 1941, 1929, 1917,
1905; Horse born in 2014, 2002, 1990, 1978, 1966, 1954, 1942, 1930, 1918,1906; Goat born in 2015, 2003, 1991, 1979, 1967, 1955, 1943, 1931, 1919,
1907; Monkey born in 2016, 2004, 1992, 1980, 1968, 1956, 1944, 1932, 1920,
1908; Rooster born in 2017, 2005, 1993, 1981, 1969, 1957, 1945,
1933, 1921, 1909; Dog born in 2018, 2006, 1994, 1982, 1970, 1958, 1946, 1934, 1922,
1910; Pig born in 2019, 2007, 1995, 1983, 1971, 1959, 1947, 1935, 1923,
1909.
DID YOU KNOW THAT!
Ice cream was invented in China around 2000BC when the Chinese packed a soft milk and rice mixture in the snow.
China is the fourth largest country in the world. China is sometimes a day ahead of the United States.
When a Chinese child loses a baby tooth, it doesn't get tucked under the pillow for the tooth fairy.
If the child loses an upper tooth, the child's parents plant the tooth in the ground, so the new tooth will grow in straight and healthy.
Parents toss a lost bottom tooth up to the rooftops, so that the new tooth will grow upwards , too.
It is considered good luck for the gate to a house to face south.
We know that the Chinese grew rice as long as 5000 BC Archaeologists have found rice grains in farming tools and pots from that period.
Long ago, silk making was a closely guarded secret. Anyone who gave the secret away could be killed.
At one time, Chinese patriots hoped to rid themselves of hated foreign conquerors. To announce the time of an uprising, the patriots hid messages in moon cakes. Red is considered a lucky color in China. At one time wedding dresses were red. New Year's banners, clothing, and lucky money envelopes are still red.
with thanks for these little facts, they are wonderful.
http://www.tooter4kids.com/china/fun_facts_about_china.htm
AND SO WE GO FROM FACTS TO FIGURES, WELL, KUNG FU AND DANCING REALLY, BIT DIFFERENT TO NURSERY RHYMES.
Once upon a time in faraway China there lived two brothers, one named
Sam, and one named Tikki Tikki Tembo No Sarimbo Hari Kari Bushkie Perry
Pem Do Hai Kai Pom Pom Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako.
told
the news, she never stopped asking me a string of little questions
'Where is Tartary Nanny? Will I like Tartary? Are the people little
there, or big? What is the Emperor like? Will I like him? Is he very
enormous? Is he nice and tiny? What will be his wear?
"Good sir, " said the monk, "I cannot count the number of pears in
your wheelbarrow. You have hundreds of them. I have only asked for one
pear. Why has this made you so angry?"
The farmer had watched the scene in amazement. He had not been able
to believe his eyes when the pear tree grew out of the ground so near
to his very own wheelbarrow which was full of pears. He looked at the
barrow. It was empty. Not a single pear was left in it. One of the
handles of the barrow was missing, too. Then the farmer knew what had
happened. The old monk had used his pears to create the wonderful pear
tree.
parents that
he wished to marry her. They were very angry; after all the girl was
still a servant and also a laughing stock. The poor maiden wept, and
begged him not to make his parents angry. But nothing would dissuade
him from the marriage once he learnt that she had fallen in love with
his voice. At last his parents gave in and their permission was given
for the marriage to take place. 
THE TWELVE ANIMALS
The SNAKE: 
The PIG: 
