Hello, welcome to Chinese Folk Tales.
I'm Lisa Rose Sullivan and I've got another amazing story to tell you.
I really hope you enjoy it.
This story is all about King Mu of Zhou, who was very rich indeed, but who discovered that actually some of the best things in life are free.
King Mu of Zhou Dynasty, who lived 3,000 years ago, loved new things.
And he could afford to have anything he wanted, because he was one of the richest men in China at the time.
Everyone knew this all over the land.
Your Majesty.
Sire your majesty.
So if they had something especially clever or new or expensive, they would come to the palace to show the king in the hope that he would reward them greatly, would uh?
So i'd be interested in this marvelous gadget.
Yes, I see.
So it goes like this.
There is nothing like it in the known world.
Sold!
Your Highness.
Your Majesty.
Your Majesty.
I'll certainly have that.
Give this man a bag of gold.
I made it myself from the finest materials.
What does it do?
There's only one in the whole world.
Oh yes, I need that.
It's the biggest and best ever.
It's the biggest, best ever, brand new.
You say, your majesty, no one has anything like this.
I'll take that one to complete my set.
There's nothing like this in the known world, sire.
One day a great magician arrived from the far west.
Your Majesty, said the magician, bowing deeply before folding his arms extravagantly.
I can walk through water and fire and pass metal through stone.
I can make the mountains and the rivers change their place and move cities and castles.
I can rise up into the air without falling and can transform myself into a thousand different things.
The king was impressed.
Oh, that's very clever.
How useful.
The magician also had the power to control people's thoughts, though he didn't tell anyone.
Not straight away.
The King of Mu was amazed at all the things that this magician could do.
He honoured him as if he were a god and even gave up his apartments in the palace for him.
Please, a great magician, make yourself comfortable in my palace.
I've laid on some music for you and a wonderful banquet.
MUSIC
But the magician wasn't satisfied.
It's all a bit basic.
Your singers can't sing in tune and the food is all a bit plain for me.
I'd rather stay in my tent in the square.
At least there I have a thousand bedrooms, a hundred bathrooms, ten kitchens and a stable.
And I have the finest choir to sing to me in the evenings.
The king was a bit upset, to be honest.
Here.
I am one of the richest people in China and my house isn't good enough for a visiting magician.
So the king ordered a new palace to be built.
Get one of those new saws.
Won't be long.
It'll be built in no time.
No expense was spared in building the new palace, which was as high as the hills that surrounded the city.
It was made of the finest stone and furnished with the best furniture.
The cushions were of the most expensive materials.
He filled it with servants who wore beautiful clothes and who served top quality food made by the best chefs in China.
He also called on the best singers in the land to entertain the magician at a big banquet.
But the king could see that the magician wasn't impressed.
Not in the slightest.
What do you think?
Is this not the finest palace you've ever seen?
One morning, the magician suggested that the king might like to take a trip with him.
The king thought this was a great idea and called for his horses.
No, no, we don't need them.
Just touch my sleeve.
He clicked his fingers and straight away they shot up bursting like a firework into the skies above the kingdom.
Soon they were at the palace of the magician.
It was built of...
Gold and silver and towered high above the clouds.
Is it my imagination or is this palace floating on air?
Of course.
The king looked down on his kingdom and it looked very small indeed.
There was no comparison between his palace and the palace of the magician.
Come along, there's more.
The king held on to the magician's hand again and they flew even higher than the palace in the sky, where there was no sun or moon, or sea or rivers below.
Oh, oh dear, I don't feel very well.
All around him, the lights were so bright and the sounds so loud, and he began to feel as though he were dissolving into nothingness.
I don't like this.
Please come, said the magician, and he snapped his fingers and the king felt like he was falling, endlessly falling, until he found himself with a bump sitting on his cushion in his palace, surrounded by his guests and servants.
He was back at the banquet he'd first held for the magician Before him a golden plate with warm food half eaten and a goblet still half full with wine.
What just happened?
Nothing, sir.
You closed your eyes for just a moment.
That is all.
The magician started laughing and pointing at the king, laughed some more.
I don't get it.
Sorry, did we not travel to your palace? and stay there for many years in great luxury?
No.
We simply travelled in spirit.
With a good imagination and a little trickery, we can travel anywhere.
Who needs to take our bodies with us?
But it all seems so real.
The king accepted the magician's explanation, but he didn't really understand it.
Eventually, the magician got bored and decided to move on.
And to be truthful, the king was pleased.
The magician was an expensive guest.
Goodbye, goodbye.
You simply must come visit again.
Not.
But after a few months the king was growing bored of his palace and he remembered all the amazing things he'd seen when travelling with the magician.
He decided that perhaps he should go travelling again, not in his mind this time, but also with his body.
And off they set.
And off they set. travelling a thousand miles to the west.
They came to a country of great hunters who gave them a big feast and they slept in tents in the woods under the stars in the Kunlun Mountains.
Wonderful!
Quite beautiful!
A bit on the cold side Next, they visited the great castle of the Lord of Poang.
Amazing building, quite unique.
My feet are aching from walking around it.
They reached the weak river on which nothing floats, not even the lightest boat.
Oh, what are we going to do now?
If we can't get across the weak river, we shall have to go back.
I feel there are still so many amazing things to see.
That would be a shame.
Who's there?
The king was startled for a moment and hid behind a rock.
Show yourself.
And he peered around the rock to see if he could see anyone.
I said that would be a shame.
You have come all this way and there's still a way to go and you can't cross this little bit of water.
Shame, shame, shame.
The fish, a big golden carp, almost the size of a boat, waved a fin at the king.
He waved back, emerged from behind the stone and walked towards the riverbank, where he could see all manner of creatures.
Turtles, salamanders and crabs.
Well, it would seem the most likely outcome.
Shame, shame, shame.
I'll tell you what, I'm a reasonable sort.
How about my fellow water creatures and I create a bridge over which you and your retinue can walk.
And you can continue on your journey.
You'd do that for me, said the king cautiously.
He'd never spoken to a fish before, but he did so want to get on his way.
No problem.
What do you guys think?
Same.
But what do you want in return?
You're the most interesting thing that's happened in weeks.
We've nothing better to do.
We can do it easily.
And when you get home, maybe you could make a nice pond for us all to live in.
And with that, and to the amazement of the king and all his companions, they formed a bridge across the water.
And over they all went.
The king, his comrades, his horses, the wagons and supplies.
On the other side he stopped, turned and shouted.
Too kind, dear creatures, too kind.
Eventually, they reached the palace of the Queen Mother of the West.
Oh, you can play the flute.
Well, that's something, I suppose.
The Queen Mother entertained King Mu in her castle, and they got on so well that she taught him the secret of long life.
Eventually, King Mu decided that he'd done enough travelling and wanted to go home.
Which he did.
How was your holiday, Master?
Well, let's just say I'm glad to be home.
I don't think I need to go away again.
At least not physically.
I've made enough memories to last a lifetime.
So there you go.
It just goes to show that you don't have to travel great distances to have an adventure and see amazing things.
Sometimes the best destinations can be found inside our own heads.
So long as you don't take it too far.
And with that, we conclude this episode of Chinese Folk Tales.
Thanks for listening.
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We'll see you next time.
Bye for now.
