The Carp That Became a Dragon
故事全文
Dragon Gate, also known as Dragon Gate Mountain, is said to be the place where Yu the Great tamed the floods. After guiding the waters of the Yellow River to Dragon Gate Mountain, Yu found that the water had no way out. So, he carved an opening in Dragon Gate Mountain for the waters of the Yellow River to flow through. Not only were the sides of the opening very steep, the river flow was also swift and strong. The narrowest part of the opening was barely sixty meters wide. This made the mountain look like the gate of the Yellow River.
After carving an opening in Dragon Gate Mountain, Yu wanted to find a fish that could leap over the Dragon Gate to manage the place. Upon hearing the news, many fish wanted to try for the position, so, they all swam up the Yellow River toward Dragon Gate Mountain. Along the way, some of the weaker fish became tired, and were washed away by the strong river current. Only a few fish finally made it to the foot of Dragon Gate Mountain. They kept trying to jump over the gate, but none succeeded. One by one, they gave up and swam back to the sea.
Eventually, only one tiny golden carp was left. It tried its best to jump over the gate until it was exhausted and about to give up. Suddenly, it noticed a huge rock in the middle of the river. When the water hit the rock, it sent spray high up into the air. The tiny carp suddenly had an idea, “Why should I rely only on my own strength to jump? Why not use the power of the water? ”
And so, the little carp rode upon the spray, and leaped into the air as high as it could. Unexpectedly, it leaped over the Dragon Gate, and landed effortlessly on the other side of the mountain. In the end, the little carp was not only appointed as the caretaker of Dragon Gate Mountain, it was transformed into a golden dragon that flew happily in the sky.
