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Do you know that 2024 is the year of the dragon? Or if you're hearing this episode sometime in the
future, 2024 was the year of the dragon? In the Chinese calendar, each year is linked with one of
12 animals. The dragon is considered a powerful symbol of prosperity and good fortune,
and we're about to hear one Chinese legend as to why.
I'm Rebecca Sheer, and welcome to Circle Around, where story time happens all the time.
Today our story is called the Lone Dragon. Versions of this tale come from China, the largest
of all countries in Asia. Some really great people came together to bring you our adaptation of
this folktale, including Ellen Wong, star of the movie Scott Pilgrim versus the world and the
animated Netflix series Scott Pilgrim takes off. You grown ups may also know Ellen from the
carry diaries on the CW and the Netflix series Glow. So Circle Around everyone for the Lone Dragon.
Long long ago in a wide wide valley, they're lay of village. The villagers were farmers
who worked hard planting and harvesting wheat, millet and soybeans. Towering above the village
was a mountain, and at the top of that mountain there lived a dragon.
The mountain was so high that the villagers never saw the dragon, though they often heard him growl
and roar down the steep cliffs and across the craggy ridges. Sometimes they even heard him speak.
I'm one who frightens. I'm one who fears. I live alone who dares to appear.
The villagers were so frightened of the dragon that they issued urgent warnings to their children.
You must never go near the dragon. You mustn't even go up the mountain. Or anywhere near it.
That beast will swallow you in one bite. He'll roast you to a crunchy crisp.
We must leave that monster alone.
One year a drought fell upon the land. The lack of rain left the villagers fields
parched and cracked. And as the desperate people watched their wheat, millet and soybeans
shriveled wilt, a nagging idea warmed its way into their heads.
This drought must be the dragon's fault.
Yes, the dragon.
That evil beast put a curse on our village.
Now we really must stay away from him.
Far, far away.
Before he brings us even more, misery and woe.
As all of this was going on, it just so happens that one of the villagers had a birthday coming up.
Her name was Lynn. And even though everyone in the village had been pinching their pennies
since the drought began, Lynn's parents wanted to throw her a party.
We know times are hard, Lynn, but this village could use a celebration and a good-natured
kind-hearted girl like you deserves a party.
Your mother's right, Lynn. So we're going to scrape together what we have
and throw you the best birthday bash ever.
Thank you so much, mother and father. This is so generous of you.
I can't wait to celebrate with all of my family and my neighbors and the dragon.
Lynn's parents exchanged a look.
Lynn, did you just say the dragon?
I did. Look, I know your grownups have been telling us kids to stay away from the dragon,
but haven't you been listening to him?
It's hard not to, Lynn. His voice is like thunder.
But have you been listening to what he's been saying? I'm one who frightens.
I'm one who's feared. I live alone. Who dares to come near?
Can't you see the dragon is lonely? Lonely?
Yes. He says so himself. He knows he frightens us.
He knows we fear him and that's why he's alone.
Because none of us dare come near.
So I'm inviting him to my party so that he feels happy and wanted and will stop roaring at our village.
Lynn spun on her heel and raced out the door. Her swift fleet feet carrying her straight toward the mountain.
Lynn, wait! Come back! The dragon will eat you!
If he doesn't roast you first!
But Lynn paid her parents no mind. She just picked up speed and when she reached the bottom of the mountain,
she discovered that the trail upward was tangled with overgrown tree roots and scattered with jagged rocks.
The villagers have kept away from the mountain for so long that this trail hasn't been used in ages!
But I must follow it. I must! Lynn took a deep breath and began climbing up the path.
She stumbled over roots. She tripped over rocks. And when she was about a third of the way to the top,
she heard the dragon's thunderous voice rumbling from above.
I'm one who frightens. I'm one who's feared. I live alone. Who dares to come near?
Suddenly, Lynn felt a burst of heat. And when she looked up, a bright orange ball of flames
was hurtling down the mountainside and speeding her way. Yes! The dragon is even fire!
She dove into a scraggly bush just in time for the fireball to go streaking past.
Without wasting a minute, Lynn scrambled out of the thicket and went tearing back down the mountainside.
The dragon's roars echoing in her ears all the while.
Back at the bottom, Lynn collapsed on the ground and pulled her wobbly knees to her chest.
Maybe my parents are right. Maybe the dragon really does want to be alone. I mean those roars sound so
angry, so furious, so! Lynn stopped short because all of a sudden, the dragon was no longer
roaring. Instead, he was doing something else entirely. Something Lynn never expected,
not in a million years.
What do you think Lynn is hearing? We'll find out what it is after a quick break.
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Before we get back to our story, did you know that in addition to listening to Circle Round,
you can carry it, eat lunch with it, and read it? Visit the swag link at wbur.org-circle-round and
get your very own Circle Round backpack, lunch box, and picture books. And bonus, each book comes with
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I'm Rebecca Sheer. Welcome back to Circle Round. Today, our story is called The Lone Dragon.
Before the break, a kind hearted girl named Lynn was having a birthday party and wished to
invite a dragon, the same dragon whom her fellow villagers blamed for the drought that was
destroying their crops. The dragon lived high atop a mountain. Lynn tried climbing to the summit,
but halfway up she was nearly burned by the dragon's fiery breath. So she scurried back down,
only to suddenly hear a most unexpected sound.
Wait a minute. Is the dragon crying? Lynn put a hand to her ear. Indeed, the dragon's roars had
turned into sums. Through his tears, he suddenly began to speak. In the saddest voice Lynn had ever heard.
Forever alone. No one dares to come near.
I was right. I was right. Lynn smiled and jumped to her feet. She threw back her shoulders,
stuck out her chin, and with more determination than ever, she clambered her way back up the mountain.
And this time, the dragon was still in the dark. And the dragon was still in the dark.
Termination than ever. She clambered her way back up the mountain. And this time, she made it all
the way to the top. When she reached the summit, there was the dragon. He was lying on his belly
and his bearded face hung low as his sleek, scaly body shuddered with sobs. Lynn noticed that the
plump tears pouring from his eyes were pooling into a glittering puddle beneath them. She took a breath,
then called out in a gentle voice. Dragon? May I speak with you? The dragon froze. Then he jerked
up his horned head and springed to his clawed feet. When his bulging eyes fell on Lynn, he bared his
pointy teeth with a growl. Speak with me. May you speak with me? No, you may not speak with me.
Haven't you heard? I'm one who frightens. I'm one who's feared. I live alone. No dares to come near.
I have heard you say that many times, but just now I heard you say something else about being
forever alone because no one dares to come near. The dragon blinked his eyes. They were still wet
with tears. You heard me say that? I did. But it's not true anymore because I've dared to come near.
But why? Don't you know that your fellow villagers despise me? They warn their children about me.
They blame me for their misfortune, like this dreadful drought. It had nothing to do with me. I swear.
I know how the villagers can be, but I also know they're wrong. Wrong about you and wrong about
this drought. And I want to make things right. Please come to my birthday party be my special guest.
The dragon fell silent. His bulging eyes bulged even more. Then they softened.
What's your name, young lady? Lin. Lin. No one has ever invited me to a party before.
No one has even spoken to me before. They've spoken about me, sure, telling all sorts of tall,
scary tales, but never to me. Until now, until you. And for that, I am so grateful.
A tear trickled down the dragon's whiskered cheek, then another, and another.
Before long, he was full of sobbing again. Only this time, he was sobbing with joy. His eyes overflowed
with gushing, grateful tears until Lin was up to her knees in shimmering crystal clear water.
I would be honored to attend your party, Lin. But first, there's something I'd like to do. Hop on!
The dragon knelt down, and Lin climbed on to his broad back. Next thing she knew,
the two of them were lifting off the ground. As the dragon's enormous body took to the air,
the deep pond of tears splashed and sprayed every which way, sending cool, refreshing water all the
way down the mountain and into the village, like a shower of rain. The alarmed villagers burst
out of their houses. When they saw the dragon, they gasped. But when they saw Lin riding on his back,
and the drops of rain that seemed to be falling from the sky, they grinned. The dragon has brought us
rain! Cool, life-giving rain! We will never speak ill of him again! And they kept true to their word.
The villagers had a wonderful time celebrating with the dragon when he attended Lin's birthday
party as the guest of honor. They no longer feared him or distressed at him. Instead, they treated
their new friend with respect and appreciation. And when every their fields grew dry, they even did
a special dragon dance to honor him and humbly asked for more cool, life-giving rain. Since then,
dragon dances have made their way into festive occasions like Lunar New Year,
where a long, flexible dragon puppet swoops and soars down the street with help from a team of
nimble dancers. The dances meant to drive away evil spirits, welcome in prosperous times,
and express gratitude to the mighty dragon, this wise, powerful symbol of strength, fortune, and luck.
Now it's your turn. One traditional way to celebrate the Lunar New Year is a reunion dinner,
where families gather to celebrate their hopes for the New Year. What are some hopes you have for
the year ahead? Is there a skill you want to learn or improve? A cool project you hope to complete?
Maybe you hope to keep your room clean or get along better with a sibling.
Draw a picture of your hope for the year ahead, then share it with someone you love.
And if you'd like, share it with us! Grown-ups snap a photo of your kiddo and they're drawing and
email it to CircleRound at WBUR.org. We may feature it in the Lion's Roar, the official newsletter
of the CircleRound Club. If you're not yet a member, you can join this growing community of
CircleRound Super fans and get all sorts of cool stuff by signing up today at WBUR.org slash CircleRound.
This week's episode, The Lone Dragon, was adapted by me, Rebecca Sheer. It was edited by
Sophie Kodner. Our original music and sound design is by Eric Schemelonis. Our artist is Sabina Hahn.
Sabina has created a black and white coloring page for all of our CircleRound stories and you can
print them out and color them in. Grown-ups visit our website, wbUR.org slash CircleRound and click
on coloring pages. Special thanks to this week's actors, Fiat Orchin, Paul Dottet, Kim Miller,
and Ellen Wong. Ellen Wong stars in the movie Scott Pilgrim versus the World, as well as the
animated Netflix series Scott Pilgrim takes off. You Grown-ups can also see Ellen in the
Carried Isles on the CW and the Netflix series Glow. In April 2024, watch for Ellen in the
newest season of the MGM plus Sci-Fi series Beacon 23. Our featured instrument this week was the
PEPA. To learn more about this ancient plucked instrument popular in Taiwan and to see a photo of
Eric Schemelonis playing it, visit our website. Again, that's wbUR.org slash CircleRound.
And while you're at wbUR.org slash CircleRound, you can check out our upcoming live events,
get your hands on our CircleRound picture books, and you can support your favorite public radio
podcast by joining the CircleRound Club. Once more, that's wbUR.org slash CircleRound.
Grown-ups, if you enjoy CircleRound, please leave us a five-star review on your favorite podcast
app. It helps other listeners find the show. We also invite you to talk about us on social media,
tag us on Instagram and Facebook at CircleRound podcast. CircleRound is a production of WBUR,
Boston's NPR News Station. I'm Rebecca Scher. Thanks for circling round with us.
Now that you've made it to the end of this CircleRound episode, we want to know
what's your favorite CircleRound story? Thousands of fans just like you have been telling us about
the CircleRound stories they like best. Take a listen. Maybe one of their favorites is one of yours, too.
My name is Esther. I live in Switzerland. My favorite story is the Corning Upsteam Inc.
My favorite part is when it gives the quote to the little baby book. I really like CircleRound.
I'm Jonah. I live in Switzerland. My favorite episode is the 3-legged part. I really like it
because the 3-legged part is so funny. My name is Mimi and I live in Sparrow's British Columbia.
Then my favorite CircleRound story is Granny's leather bag. I like the part when the woman turns into stone.
My name is Kieu and I did this reference at CircleRound. My favorite CircleR story is the Laird
Viska because I like the part where they put a Laird Viska that teaches the lesson. Thank you all back, Kieu.
My name is Weaver and I live in Palestine and my favorite CircleRound story is the Terkula
Wester because I liked the part when Kinga Wu keeps on calling Kinga Wu. Hi, my name is Iris.
I live in Ames, Sinan, Illinois and I have a CircleRound story. My name is Ellis. I live in Bo Washington.
My favorite CircleRound story is once upon a flame because I like the part where the old woman picks them out.
We love you Rebecca Shire. Did someone mention a story you've missed?
Not to worry. Grownups, you can find all of our CircleRound stories. Plus links to the CircleRound Club,
picture books, coloring pages and Oso much more on our website, wbur.org slash CircleRound.
